The End is Only the Beginning
by Pronzo
Summary: 9 risides with 2,5,6,8, and 1 in the cathedrial trying to survive against the countless machines hunting them.Until one day when 9 is ambushed and something or someone finds him causing questions to raise and a great adventure to began. might change to M
1. Welcome Back

**Hey everybody, Pronzo, here. I was looking at some of the "9" stories on this website and was enjoying quite a few of them. However I was slightly sad that all of them ****were really short and un-finished. So with about 5 minutes of debating I decided to write a story of my own. I have no idea what this story might involve but I do know that it will ****be rated "M" later on for intense violence, language, scary situations, Romance, and "LOTS" of character development. This story is completely unrelated to the Epic movie and all of the ****characters are still alive…for now. Please review and enjoy!**

* * *

The wind blew through the room with a gentle breeze, as the wooden windows slowly opened and reclosed again and again. Papers flew around the room slowly

falling to the ground as the wind carried them around over and over. 9 lay unconscious on the wooden table as all of this occurred. As he lay there a small figure approached him. It

examined him and flipped him over. It looked at the large "9" on his back then it stiffened. The figure then slowly picked up 9 and threw him into a small handmade wagon and exited the

abandoned building with a quick pace. 9 awoke in a small tent as he regained conscious. Suddenly a huge pair of scissors overcame his vision.

"Holy shi-.." 9 grabbed the huge utensils and flung them somewhere across the room.

"9! Wait stop!!" 5 grabbed him by the shoulders and held him still while 9 relaxed.

"5? What are you doing here? Wait, where am I?" 5 released 9's shoulders and chuckled.

"You're back at the Cathedral, and you're in the medical tent." 9 slowly closed his eyes and rested his head against the tent wall "This is the second time you've scared the crud out of me

with those things" as 9 looked over at the scissors on the floor. 9 ran his hand over his chest and winced in pain as his copper fingers crossed over a huge hole that occupied it. "What

happened to me? Why is there a hole here!?" 9 looked up at 5 and saw utter confusion in his friend's eyes. "All I know is that I found you like that in the apartment complex. Speaking of

that, what were you doing there in the first place?" 5 asked cautiously. 9 blinked and looked down to the floor. "1 sent me there to find some more supplies, but something ambushed me."

9 looked up at 5 and sighed "All I remember was that I heard a noise from behind me and started running. After that, I remember something hit me rather hard on the back and knock me

across the room into a book. My body hit the ground and I remember seeing a huge figure chasing after something, then I passed out." 5 listened to his story carefully and closed his eyes at the end.

"Well, if what you saw about the giant figure is true, then I would guess that it was the beast, but I'm not sure about the part where you said that it was chasing something. Why would

it be chasing something when you were its target?" After about 10 minutes of thinking, 5 shook his head in mental defeat and walked over to the scissors lying on the ground. "All that

matters is that you're back and alive." 5 walked over to 9 with the utensil in hand. "Lay down, I'm not finished fixing you're injury yet, and 2 should be here soon enough to help finish the

job." 9 complied and laid his head back on the surgery table. He slowly closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

When 9 awoke he was alone in the little medical tent. The candles

where blown out and the silence in the church proved to him it was probably night. 9 rubbed his head with his copper fingers and slowly jumped off the surgery table. He walked over to

the tent's opening and pushed it apart. Everyone was sleeping soundly as he walked past them. 1 was in his throne, with an unreadable expression planted on his face. 8 was right

beside him with his mouth hanging wide open with a loud snore erupting from it every once and a while. 6 was slumped over on some of his drawings with a bottle of ink right next to his

head. While 5 was resting in a hammock that he had made out of some newspaper, but 2 was nowhere to be seen. 9 went over to the elevator that was actually just a paint can, and

began to pull the rope down to lift the can up. When he reached the watch tower he stepped out of the bucket and proceeded towards the telescope. As if on cue, 9 saw 2 looking

through it out into the distance. "2, what are you doing up here so late? Everybody is asleep and so should you." 9 walked over to the old ragdoll and sat down beside him. 2 gave a low

grunt then jumped down from the telescope platform. "And might I ask the same question to you 9. What are you doing up when you should be recovering from you're injury?" 9's eyes

widened as he remembered the huge hole that was occupying his chest only a few hours ago. He looked down and lifted his hand to the spot where it used to be. Instead he discovered

a faded red scrap sewn over it in its place. "That's right you and 5 fixed it." 2 smiled a soft smile then glanced over at 9 and sighed. "You're lucky to have escaped with your life 9. The

beast could've killed you on the spot. You're just lucky that was the only injury you received." 9 nodded in agreement. He was lucky that he wasn't killed, and that he didn't lose a limb or

eye like 5 had so long ago. 2 looked out into the distance and his smile reappeared. "You remind me of 7 in a way." 9 quickly looked up at 2. "Who's 7 and where is he?" 9 asked. 9's

curiosity pleased 2, and he chuckled at 9's reaction; he forgot that 9 had never got to meet 7. "Well for one thing 7 is not a he, but a she, and what a feisty one she was." 2 moved and

sat down to get in a more comfortable position and then continued. "She looked after all of us and could do anything. In fact, she saved me and 5 when we were escaping from the

machines back when the war was going on. However she was always getting injured and 5 and I had to constantly fix her back up so she could go on another wild adventure. She was a

free spirit so she and 1, who liked to plan things out to the very end, had different views about things. One day, 1 finally made her so angry that she ran away during the night a few

years ago." 9 watched as 2 slowly lowered his head. "And I haven't seen her since then. Now everyone believes that she was finally captured and killed." 9 closed glanced at 2 in

sadness. 2 had really seemed to like 7, and by the description 9 seemed interested in her as well, but now 2 and the others believed that she was gone. 9 got up and offered his hand to

2 who gladly took it. "7 sounds like she can take care of herself, and I bet that she's still out there somewhere." 2 smiled at the kindness in 9's words then went over to the paint can and

got in it. "Let's get some sleep before we both fall over from exhaustion." 9 nodded his head in agreement then re-entered the can as 2 lowered them down.

* * *

The figure was getting closer as 9 ran with all his might to escape it. His right arm hung uselessly as he held onto it tight. The metal bars inside that had been substitute bones had

snapped in two and left him with no use for his arm. A loud clanking sound was overcoming his hearing and he could feel the ground vibrate as the giant figure chased after him. He heard

a low growl as the figure jumped over him and landed right in front of him. 9 stared at the beast with wide eyes. He couldn't move, no matter how much he tried or wanted to. He was

completely helpless. The figure walked out of the shadows and into the moonlight showing all of its features. It had the skull of cat and a red eye that would send shivers down your

back. It hunched back on both its legs before it lunged at 9 with all its fury. 9 watched as the beast came flying down on top of him almost as if it was in slow motion. He suddenly

regained control of his legs and jumped out of the way just in time. He landed on the edge of a cliff that dropped down to a blood red ocean. He tensed and turned around only to come

face to face with the beast. He watched as the cat-skulled monster raised its giant claws and swung them down with great power pushing 9 off the cliff, falling down to the blood soaked

ocean below.

* * *

"AGHHH!!" 9 jerked up from his sleep and quickly looked around. Everyone was still asleep, but light shined through the Cathedral's windows. He glanced around once more before

slowly pushing himself off the ground and walking over to the bucket. He got in it then pulled himself up to the watch tower. He didn't know why he wanted to go up there, but decided

that it would be a good place to recuperate from his nightmare. When the bucket finally reached the top of the tower it exited from it and crawled up onto the telescope's platform before

positioning the telescope and looking through it. He saw deserted cars and rubble everywhere. "What a beautiful city he joked as he turned the telescope in another direction. This time

he spotted something peculiar he reached up and pulled another lens down to greaten the distance he could see and looked through the telescope again. Something was moving around

down there near an old library. He watched as the mysterious figure ran back and forth from the library and out before it suddenly stopped. He couldn't really make out what it was,

seeing as how it was a blur in the telescope so he left it and looked over the edge of the watchtower to see what it really was, but before he even had a chance to catch a glimpse of the

mysterious figure it had disappeared once more. 9 stared at the spot curiously. "What was that thing?" 9 was just about to shout out something until someone grabbed his shoulder.

"What are you doing up here?!" 1 seemed to be in a bad mood and was frowning at 9. "Umm...well…I…was just looking through… the..." 1 wacked 9 on the head with his staff, causing

nine to fall down to the ground. He then re-grabbed his shoulder and pushed him into the metal bare railing that was the only thing keeping them from falling down to the ground below.

"It is your job to find supplies today, and make sure you actually bring some back or don't come back at all." 1 released his grip on 9's shoulder before he went over to the elevator then

lowered himself down leaving a dumbfounded 9 at the top of the watch tower, unable to utter a word back at him. 9 stumbled back to his feet and mumbled a few words before lowering

himself back down to the lower level. 9's only opinion at the moment of 1 was one word, "Dick."

* * *

**Ok that was fun to write. I'm excited that I'm starting this new fan-fiction seeing as how my old one kind of got boring to me and didn't give me something new to write about. I'm really excited to see how people thought about this and if they want me to continue. If I get some reviews I will update as fast as I can to make you guys happy. I really also appreciate the reviews so that you guys can tell me what you want and maybe, just maybe I can make it happen in this story which I'm hoping will last a very long time and not end on Chapter 1.**

**~Pronzo**


	2. New Figures

**I've been really tired and lazy lately, so I decided to just get the second chapter done with. I really like how this story is progressing, and I really am thankful for the reviews I got. Like I said before this story is rated "T" for now but might change later in the future. It depends on how deep I feel the story should go, and also on your opinions. Please review and enjoy!**

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9 walked across the deserted grounds as he scouted for useful tools or supplies that would be helpful in the near future. 5 had offered to go with him, and 9 had

been more than willing to accept his generous offer, but 1 had completely denied the idea. He thought 9 should go alone and prove to them that he could still be of use and not a burden

to the rest of the group. 9 growled, mentally kicked himself for just accepting 1's decision. He hated the guy with a passion, and wasn't in a forgiving mood today. As he continued to walk

he stared up at the dark brownish-gray like sky not noticing the piece of rubble that was lying in front of him. He tripped on it and fell square flat on his face. As he slowly lifted himself up,

he placed his hand on his head and rubbed the now tender spot. "Today just isn't my day." He continued walking through the rubble and searching for tools. He was bored to death and

couldn't figure out anything to do while out in this playground from hell. So he left his pile of items and decided to explore. He jumped onto a pile of rocks and crawled up to the top of a

car. When he reached the top he took a few exhausted breaths then sat down on the rusty metal, and looked into the distance. Little did he know something was also watching him with

suspicion in their eyes. He watched as the gray clouds moved slowly across the sky, filled with the horrible scent of death and decay.9 frowned at this, and thought about what life was

like before the war. What had happened between the machines and humans that would make them attack and kill each other? Why couldn't they have resolved their problems? 9 stared

blankly in deep thought for a few minutes then sighed "Why am I even here in the first place?"

"That's the same thing I want to know." 9 flinched at the sudden voice and before he could do anything, he was kicked square flat in the back then punched across the face. He rolled

over the surface, holding his optics to protect them from further damage, and then something grabbed him and lifted him up by his back fabric. Suddenly he realized that his unknown

capturer was holding a knife up to his neck. 9 struggled to get free from the figure but it was useless.

"Why are you doing this?! I didn't do anything!" 9 felt the cold, sharp edge of the blade press against his throat as the figure responded.

"I don't like it when people come here uninvited." 9 suddenly felt an overcoming fear over wash him and stayed completely still. This figure was serious and he could hear the harshness

in its words. 9 gathered up all the courage he had and questioned the figure "What are you going to do to me?" the figure tightened their grip on the knife and said no response.

9 waited impatiently "Well?!" Suddenly the figure wacked 9 in the back of the head then pushed him off the truck. He hit the ground with a loud thump then yelled out in pain.

"What the hell was that f…?"9 stopped in mid-sentence then looked around. The figure had disappeared from the top of the car and was nowhere in sight. He pushed his body off the

ground and groaned as a wave of pain over washed him. "Today is definitely not my day." He recited, before looking around for the mysterious figure again. Finally, 9 decided it was futile

to look for someone who wanted to do him harm, and left with a quick pace to go back to his pile of supplies. As 9 walked away the same figure he had confronted, slowly watched his

departing figure, while staring at the big "9" on his back. It's optics shot wide open with surprise, and then with one swift movement the figure retreated back to the library.

* * *

9 struggled along as he pulled his wagon of tools back to the Cathedral. He had taken quite a beaten from that mysterious character, but still didn't manage to see

what they looked like. "Who was that figure, and why did it just leave me there?" 9 tried to figure it out, but was too tired to do so. He was only a couple minutes away from the

Cathedral and decided that he would approach 2 about it to see if he knew anything about the figure. When 9 entered the Cathedral, silence over flooded the entire building. The only

sound he managed to hear was the sound of someone humming a quiet tune. He peered around the corner to see 6 drawing something and recognized it as the thing he always drew. 6

played with his fingers as he concentrated on something then continued drawing again. 9 couldn't help but smile as he watched 6 draw. Suddenly a loud clang came from the direction of

the medical tent. 9 walked past 6 and over to the medical tent where he had heard the noise come from. He reached out and spread apart the opening to the tent to see 2 and 5

discussing something. They both stopped talking and turned to face towards 9 before they both noticed how beat up he looked. 2 quickly stepped up to 9

"Dear grief, child, what in god's name happened to you?" 2 looked 9 up and down before he decided 9 would be alright. 5 waited and sat patiently on the surgery table as he waited for 2

to finish inspecting 9's beat up form, then was the first to ask the question 9 did not want to hear. "What the hell happened to you?" 2 glanced at 5, then back to 9 with the same

questioning look that 5 possessed in his optics.

5 rolled around the ground gripping his stomach as hard as he could to try to relive some pain from his uncontrollable endless laughter. 9 watched him roll around the medical tent until he

took a small bolt and threw it at his head hitting 5 square flat in the face sending him flying to the other side of the tent. 2 on the other hand just sat there with a small smirk as if he

knew something that 9 didn't about the incident, but 9 let it go by unnoticed. 5, who had finally recovered from his laughing attack and the bolt to the face, got up off the floor and walked

over to the table and sat down once more. He took a deep breath then looked 9 in the optics.

"Next time 1 tells you to do something, don't listen to him. Because we all know that's he's just an old, grumpy, piece of…"

* * *

*Mean While* 1 sneezed and looked around the throne room. He called over to 8. "Go clean this room. There must be dust in the air." 8 nodded and slowly and regretfully put

his magnet on his bed, before he got up and went to get the cleaning supplies.

* * *

*Back at the medical tent* 9 struggled to hold back a small chuckle before 2 walked over to the opening of the tent. 9 and 5 looked over at 2 in surprise.

"I'm going to go up to the watch tower, it is my shift anyways." And with that, 2 exited the medical tent, leaving the two other stitch-punks behind.

* * *

The beast slowly walked across the deserted grounds scanning for any evidence of life. It slowly walked in and out of the rubble that was lying around everywhere knowing that

the night did a fairly well job of camouflaging it from the prey it was seeking. After almost getting a stitch-punk at the apartment complex, but then being hit in the head with something

causing it to lose its prey and its own attacker, had left it in a very sour mood, which caused it to give up that nights hunt. However it was determined not to go hungry tonight. With this

final thought it slowly crept past a rusted old truck and looked up at the Cathedral.

* * *

9 watched the clouds as they slowly floated over the dark midnight sky. This was one of his favorite times of the day to look out into the emptiness. "Some hobby." He thought out loud.

9 watched the big white planet with awe. It radiated a beautiful gleaming white color that seemed to daze him. It was so different from the colors of his planet.

Everything was either: brown, yellow, gray, black, red, or a faded tan like orange color. His optics shut then reopened again. "No I have to concentrate. It's my shift, so everybody's safety

is my duty right not."

9 shifted around the telescope platform. He decided if he was to keep himself from being distracted, then he should at least look out the telescope to see if anything was coming. He

adjusted its height and added a few extra lenses so he would be able to see the slightest of movements in the darkness. His Optics weren't well adapted to the darkness, but he still

was determined to keep his friends and the old fart (1) safe. He chuckled to himself for his name calling. His mind was the only true place where he could give 1 a…well, piece of his mind.

9 was so lost in thought, that he didn't see the blade like claw slowly dropping from behind him. Suddenly a loud bang snapped 9 out of his funk and caused his senses to kick in. He

stiffened when he heard rusty metal moving and turned just in time to see the beast reaching out at him with its numerous sharp claws. "Aghhh?!" 9 looked around for any route of

escape, but the only one was the bucket and it was being blocked off the beast. So, he reacted like any other stitch punk would react, and jumped off the railing of the watch tower just

as the beast swung its claws down onto his previous spot. It broke the bars and roared a chilling roar before it jumped off in pursuit of him. 9 hit the top of the Cathedral's roof with a soft

thud. Waves of pain racked through his body as he struggled to lift himself up. He was positive one of his inner metal frame bars was broken or badly bent, but quickly pushed the

thought away. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He could feel the vibrations of heavy objects landing on the roof a few feet behind him. "No, not now! I WON'T DIE NOW!" 9

jumped off the roof and landed on a pile of sand. He quickly patted himself of then continued his gallop away from the Cathedral. 9 turned his head around and saw that the beast was

still in pursuit. "The least I can do is lure it away from the rest of the group." 9 turned his head back and looked for someplace that he could hide in. "The Library!" 9 made a sharp left,

passing the old rusted car, and lots of debris. He ran through the entrance of the library and past a whole bunch of broken stone statues. He could hear the beast not far behind, which

kept him motivated to run faster. However luck wasn't on his side and he tripped on an open book about Newton's theory. (How ironic) 9 flipped himself over and started scouting back as

fast as he could. However he knew it was futile. As the beast cornered him into a wall and raised its giant blade like claws for a finally time, he watched as it aimed then dropped its claw

like hand down on him as fast as it could. "No!" 9 shut his optics and waited for the pain…but… it never came. 9 slowly opened his optics to a stunning sight. There in front of him lay the

beast's giant claws… The beast snarled and flung itself outside, then fled the premises. 9 looked down at the remains of the beast's right claw like fingers.

"Hey you!" 9 flinched then looked up to the source of the voice.

"Ready for another ass beating?" 9 looked at the figure once, and then fainted. Today just wasn't his day

* * *

** Pheww…That one was a slightly harder one to type out. I don't think it was as good as the 1st chapter. Anyways I hope everybody is still enjoying the story so far, and if they are, aren't, or want to tell me something they may like to see in the story, just send me a review. Remember, the more reviews, the faster I get these chapters typed and uploaded.**

**~Pronzo**


	3. Names

**I'm so sorry for the longer wait than usual guys! This week was Homecoming week and that means that everyone at school was going nuts! And to make things a little harder, we had 9 German Exchange students come to my school for 2 weeks, which was a lot of fun! But on October 17****th**** my cousin Evan, was killed in a fatal car crash so I'm kind of a little sad at the moment. So I haven't really had the time to write…And I have over all just been too lazy to type up these chapters. Anyways to show you guys how sorry I am I decided to make this chapter a little longer than the others, since I made you guys wait longer. It's only fair…even if my fingers hate me right now….So here is chapter 3. Remember this fan fiction is rated "T" for now but will probably change to "M" later for: Language, violence, romance, and lots of interactions with the characters that all belong to Shane Acker and not me. ENJOY!!! **

* * *

"Aghh…my head…." 9 began to move his hand but for some reason he couldn't move it at all. He slowly opened his optics but everything in his sight was fuzzy.

"This guy really is a piece of work…" 9 flinched at the sudden nose and blinked his optics a few times to help clear some of the fuzziness away. When his vision came back into focus he l

ooked around. He was still in the library…but… it was a different room. Books surrounded every wall that he could see and a jar with 2 fighting snakes was beside him. 9 struggled to

move his hands but they wouldn't budge. He looked at his hands and figured out why. He was tied down with rusty bendable wire that was tied around a broken plate. 9 looked around

for anything that he could possibly use to help him escape from the restraining wire but then realized something. Someone was in the room with him. He was not alone at all. 9 slowly

gathered up courage then looked around the room.

"HELLO?!? IS ANYBODY HERE??!?" He waited a few seconds for any response, and then heard something move from his right side. He shifted his head to look in the other direction of the

sound then came face to face with a skull.

"AGHH!!" 9's sudden response made the masked figure jumped back in surprise and studied 9 intensely. As 9 continued to struggle to get free from his wire prison, he felt a horrible pain

in his left leg. He looked down at his leg and saw why.

As he had suspected, one of his metal frames was pushing up through his burlap skin. It looked like an almost perfect right angle, when it was supposed to be straight. The masked

stranger grabbed something then walked back over to 9. 9 looked up at the figure then at the object they were holding. It appeared to be just a piece of a rock.

"Stop moving, and hold still." 9 froze when the figure spoke. He was surprised by how gentle the voice sounded; almost like a… 9 was kicked out of his thought when a wave of pain

racked through his body

"Aghh!" 9 looked down at his leg and saw that the figure was re-bending it. The figure looked up, peering from behind its skull-like mask before standing up straight and pushing the

mask up off its face,

"I told you to stop moving. Do you want me to fix your leg or not?" 9 gasped at the figures appearance. They looked just like him; they were a stitch-punk too, just like him, bu…but…

how? The figure suddenly turned around and walked over to an old box of matches. 9 tried to see if the figure had a number on their back but couldn't move his head up any further to

identify it, and the lack of light of any sort sure didn't help him either. When the figure reproached him, they went back over to his leg, and then started wrapping something around it.

"This will hurt a bit, but try to bear with it. I'll try to have you back on your feet in about 3 days." 9 looked at the unknown stitch-punk cautiously.

"Why are you helping me? The last time we crossed paths, you almost killed me yourself." The

stitch-punk stopped what they were doing than sat down on the edge of the plate.

"I didn't know if I could trust you. You were a new face to me so I did not know your intentions. Besides, you were to close to my hideout for me not to react." The figure said sarcastically

before trying to hide a small laugh, then walked over to 9's arms and started to untie them. After being freed from his prison made from wires, he sat up into a sitting position.

"Well can you at least tell me why you tied me up like that?" The figure laughed before turning around to face 9.

"If I had fixed your leg with you unrestrained, then we would both be lying on the ground injured." 9 looked down at the ground at their response. He was blushing slightly…or he would

be if he had actual skin.

"Sorry, that was a stupid question." 9 reached his hand up and rubbed the back of his head then realized something. He hadn't introduced himself yet.

"I'm 9." The figure turned around and stared at him with a confusing look for a second, trying to figure out what he was saying. 9 shook his head then repeated himself.

"What I meant was that my name is 9, would you mind telling me yours?" The stitch-punk finally realized what he wanted to know then slowly let a grin creep onto their face.

"9 is it?" The figure grabbed something from the wall then slowly began walking over to 9.

"I don't know if I can trust you yet…" Their pace got faster, and then the figure started sprinted at 9 with amazing speed.

"But…" The figure jumped up and landed in front of 9 causing him to fall onto the ground. 9 saw a spear pointed at him as he scouted back until he hit the side of a book as the figure

leaned over him. He looked right into the other stitch-punk's eyes questioning what they were going to do next.

"I'm 7. It's a pleasure to meet yah."

* * *

9 stared with his mouth open at 7 as she straightened up and offered a hand to help him up. She smiled, as she watched him take it with a little hesitation.

"If your 7, then what 2 said about you….then…" 9 stopped mid-sentenced as 7 watched his face change from shock to confusion. 7 tapped his shoulder and then signaled him to follow

her.

"I'll explain everything later, but for now, there are some friends of mine I want you to meet." 9 didn't dare object to her order. He knew how hard she punched and didn't want to ever

have to experience it again, and felt sorry for anyone who got in her path when she was having a bad day. As they walked through the old disserted library 9 noticed a lot of paintings

that had paint chipping away. He stopped in front of one particular piece of work that appeared to be some sort of portrait of a once beautiful meadow. He limped closer to it to get a

better view of the design and detail of the painting.

"What happened?" 7 stopped and turned around to look at 9 then looked up at the decaying painting.

"All I know is that, that painting was what the world looked like before the machine war erupted." 7 stared at the painting a little longer. She had passed by this painting multiple times,

but she had never really just stopped to look at it. She had always been too busy to notice how beautiful the landscape painting truly was. She shifted her eyes over to 9, noticing how

focused he was on the portrait. He was truly different compared to the rest of the old group she had known. Something about him just…7 snapped out of her thought almost immediately,

refusing her mind to wander off anymore about such ridiculous things, and then she let out a quiet sigh.

"Come on 9; let's get going before the sun sets." 9 nodded his headed and once again began to follow 7. He watched her from behind, noticing something about her number. There was

a huge scar over it with red cloth covering up most of her number. 9 thought it was probably most likely gotten from some sort of fight, but he still became curious. He would have to ask

her later about it for sure.

When the two stitch-punks arrived at their destination, 7 immediately pushed her skull-met back up, so you could see almost her entire face. She motioned for 9 to come over to where she was,

"Stay right here, I'll go get them." And with that she ran off into the darkness of the room leaving 9 alone in the unfamiliar environment.

"Them?...How many friends could she have, there was only 9 of us created according to 2, so that means it's not 1, 2, 5, 6, or 8…so that leaves…" 9 counted his fingers then realized the

obvious . However, before he even had a chance to say it out loud, two stitch-punks where all over him like puppies playing with a new chew toy filled to the top with peanut butter.

"Sorry, they get really excited when they meet someone new." 9 looked up to see 7 grinning down at him as he was being examined by the two curious stitch-punks. She hoped down

then froze in mid step, before covering her optics with her hands then spinning around with incredible speed. 9 became confused and was going to ask her what was wrong but she beat

him to it.

"9, I would really appreciate it if you fixed your zipper." 9 instantly looked down at his zipper and realized that one of the curious stitch-punks must have pulled it down. He quickly pulled

it back up glad that it was still too high to have reveled anything…private. There was a very awkward silence that quickly followed the incident. 7 still stood with her back turned to 9. She

was for some reason more embarrassed than he probably was but soon shrugged it off. When she was sure that it was ok to speak again, she turned around and called over the two un-

introduced stitch-punks.

"This is 3 and 4, they have been lost in the past searching for answers, constantly learning new information, however they don't speak, and they can only communicate with us with

videos and pictures they have seen and studied. 9 looked at 3 and 4, then at all their similarities.

"Are they twins?" 7 cocked an eyebrow then grinned at 9 before answering,

"What do you think?"

As 7 gave 9 the grand tour of their home filled with dust, broken statues, and rubble, she purposely skipped one section of the decaying building. 9 looked at it with the corner of his eyes

then became a bit to curious.

"What is in that room?" 9 began to limp over to it until 7 grabbed his shoulder with a firm iron grip.

"That would be my room, and I would love for you to stay away from there." Once she was sure 9 fully understood what so was going at, she let go, then gave him a rough pat on the

back then walked ahead.

"Let us continue shall we?" As she walked away, 9 slowly shivered and blocked out any curiousness that came to mind about that particular room. It was now forbidden territory that he

would never trespass… he hoped…

* * *

As 7 and 9 where busy sharing thoughts, 3 and 4 had something different on their little devious minds. It was true that they couldn't communicate like 9 of 7, however they could still

communicate with each other, and the good thing about it was that 9 and 7 couldn't understand their flickering light language, so anything, and I mean ANYTHING, could be said. 3 quickly

flipped through the pages of the scientist old journals. 7 had retrieved them when the twins decided it would be useful to understand how their supposed to function, and also just for

some fun to read about the scientist adventures and enemies. He came up upon a strange section that showed detailed drawings of all the creatures out in the emptiness. 6 had been

kind enough to draw them for the twins just before they left with 7. 3 immediately recognized the one and only cat beast, to its right was the picture of the winged beast, believed to

have been slain by the humans before they all died off. However below it was only half a drawing of a creature. It had huge lethal dagger like teeth that looked like it could crunch a brick

in two. As 3 continued looking at the mysterious un-finished drawing of the unknown creature, he didn't hear a figure slowly emerging from behind him. Suddenly something tackled him to

the ground then sat on him. 3 looked up at his attacker then his face went from fearfulness to annoyance. 4 sat proudly on top of 3's back and grinned in victory. When 4 finally got off, 3

decided something. Payback would be necessary indeed.

* * *

As the two little stitch-punks flickered who knows what at each other, it watched their every movement before slowly crawling away.

**

* * *

**

**I'****m depressed about my cousin's passing still. I will miss you Evan, R.I.P. Please review and give me your thoughts. I only ask for you not to be harsh on me for only this chapter. I tried to make it interesting however depression can give you a horrible writer's block. I will update as soon as possible which will probably be a week or less. Thanks, and I hope you guys enjoyed another chapter. Sorry for the long wait.**

**~Pronzo**


	4. A New Face

**Sorry, I'm a little late on the update. Lots of school work, and I mean LOTS. Anyways, here is chapter 4 for all you guys! Remember, this fan-fiction for 9 is rated "T" for now, but will be changed to the rating "M" later on in the story for: Language, violence, romance, and lots of character interactions. Enjoy!**

* * *

9 slowly limped over to a small piece of glass that was likely from a shattered glass or bottle. He inspected it for any cracks or sharp edges before sitting down onto it. He laid

his back along it then let out a soft sigh, relaxing his aching metal joints. It had been 3 days since he met 7 and the twins, and three days since he had, had any contact with 5 and the

others. They were probably worried sick about him…well, 5, 2, and 6 anyways. After only three days since meeting 7 and 3, and 4, he already completely trusted them. 7, however was

still very mysterious to him. She never really let any emotion show in front of him except for her sarcasm and bad-ass attitude. He wondered what her personality was like when her

guard was down. This of course would never, and would probably ever happen during his life time. As 9 continued to think about his friends, 3 and 4 came scurrying over to him flashing

and flickering at him, with great fear.

"What is the matter with you two? Is something wrong?!" a sudden yell from the east end of the library gave him all the info he needed before he ran towards the source of the yell,

trying to ignore the sparks shooting out of his leg, causing him great discomfort and pain. As he finally made it to the east end, a pregnant silence enveloped the area. 9 slowly limped

into the middle of the room. Statues with broken limbs and parts surrounded the area and just seemed to make the room a bit creepier.

"RAAAGHHHH" 9 turned just in the nick of time to see 7 flying at him with her spear in hand. She stopped short before penetrating her spear through his burlap skin and took a few deep

breaths before falling down on her knees, dropping her spear in the process. A deep gash could be seen going down her left chest all the way to her left thigh.

"7 what's wrong?! What happened?!?" 9 asked with a bit of concern in his voice. 7 took a few more breaths before lifting her skull-met off her head and placing it on the ground beside

her.

"There, there is some-thing in this Library. It attacked without warning." 7 looked up at 9 then blinked her optics a few times before speaking again.

"And it's big." 9's optics shot open after she uttered those words. Here he was, with a damaged leg, two helpless twins, and an injured 7. He looked around the room and thought he

saw movement in the shadows. 7 gave a slight groan of agony before falling to the ground unconscious.

"We aren't safe here." 9 turned back to look at 3 and 4 who were watching from a distance.

"Help me get 7 out of here!" the twins rushed to his side and picked up the unconscious 7, then with 9 trailing behind, exited the east end of the library and went to a place 9 had never

been before.

* * *

The creature watched the stitch-punks with great interest. It enjoyed toying with the white stitch-punk with the spear. Her fast movements grabbed its attention and pumped

energy throughout its body, something it had been lacking for some time now. It was just about to finish her off until the other stitch-punks arrived, causing it to resort into hiding. It

flexed its eyes as it watched them talk to each other then pick up its target and run away. It slowly crept up onto an old stool then ran away into the emptiness. It would be defiantly be

back to play with them some more.

* * *

9 waited outside of 7's room. He promised her he would never enter it, and it was his job to keep watch until 3 and 4 had finished fixing 7's injury. 9 however was still as

nervous as ever. Every single sound that echoed through the library's walls made him flinch and stand up in a hesitant stance, with 7's spear at hand. When 9 finally relaxed a bit he sat

down next to a broken piece of some sort of doll and gently put 7's spear to the side.

"Man I really wish 2 and 5 were here, they would know what to do." 9 looked down at the red patch that covered over his last injury that 2 and 5 had made to save him. He lifted his cold

copper hand and softly touched the red scrap of cloth, then shut his optics. So much had happened in this last week. He just couldn't comprehend all of it.

"I need some air." 9 regretfully lifted up his damaged, worn out body than walked over to a crack in one the nearby windows. He lifted himself up on the window cell then gazed out into

the black night. Of course the smog and grayish, polluted clouds covered must of the sky, however there was a little bit off pure midnight black sky that was visible. Along with a lot of

blazing yellow stars that lit up the sky along with the help from the moon.

"What wondrous things that could be out there, that we haven't discovered yet." 9 stared at the sky in deep thought, not noticing a figure approaching him from behind.

"What are you thinking about?" 9 flinched then stumbled backwards off the window cell and landed on a hard cover book. He let out a soft groan of pain then blinked his optics a few

times. When he reopened them, 7 was staring down at him with a concerned face.

"_Wait, she is concerned about me?!" _9 looked back up at 7 then chuckled in embarrassment.

"Just in deep thought, you know, about the others." 9 sweat dropped as 7 looked at him with amusement in her optics. Well actually it looked like she was making fun of him for the

whole situation. 7 reached out a hand that 9 hesitantly took then pulled her friend up off the ground. 9 patted off his knees then backside before lifting his head to see 7 staring out the

window herself.

"What's going on with the rest of the group anyways?" She turned her head to stare 9 straight in the optics before shifting her wait onto the window cell for a more comfortable position

for her recovering arm. 9 stared back at her then put his hand behind his head and closed his optics. He rubbed his head then leaned back onto the window cell himself.

"Well, 2 and 5 are still inventing like crazy. It's almost like they have a new invention each day." 7 chuckled then nodded for 9 to continue. It had been a long time since she had heard

from the rest of the group, and it was obvious that things where still basically the same.

"6 continues to draw these weird drawings, with all these strange creatures." 7 looked at 9 with curiosity.

"What type of creatures?" 9 could sense a bit of fear in 7's voice and just when he was about to answer, something huge came crashing through the already shattered window. 7

grabbed 9 and pulled him underneath some books with her. They stayed there and waited for the dust to clear, to show their unknown attacker. 7's grip on 9's shoulder tightened when

the beast could be seen clearly.

"It's back." 9 looked up to see a stiffened 7 gripping his shoulder so tight that it hurt to move it at all. Suddenly a yowl was heard when something else came crashing through the

window into the unknown new beast. 9 gapped when he saw who had decided to make reappearance. The cat beast stood about 10 feet in-front of them before it reared up on its legs

then attacked the other creature. The unknown creature yowled and scrapped its own pair of claws across the cat beast's skull-like head. The cat beast reared up on its back legs then

lunged at the other beast with intense power. 7 flinched when she watched the cat beast bite into the leg of the other intruder causing some sort of red liquid to spray out of the wound.

The cat beast raked its claws across the other beast's body causing more red liquid to pour out of the countless gash marks across its body. 7 couldn't deal with it anymore. She raced out

from her hiding spot leaving a shocked 9 in their hiding place. She pulled her skull-met down over her head and grabbed her spear as she jumped onto the cat beast's back. It reared up

trying to shake her off flinging her around in the air, with her barely being able to hold on for dear life. The cat beast decided that shaking was not the answer then roared louder than it

ever had before it slammed its back into the concrete wall. 9 almost lost it when he thought he heard the sound of metal snapping. He searched the ground for 7 with his optics but she

was nowhere to be found. He began to exit the hiding spot until he heard 7 shout at him.

"Stay there, don't leave that spot 9!" 9 looked up to see 7 still clinging onto the rampaging cat-beast.

"Let's end this already." 7 jumped off the cat beast and did a flip in the air above it before slamming her spear's sharp blade end down through the neck of the cat-beast. Cutting right

through the delicate wire slicing the cat-beast's head clean off. The cat-beast's body landed with a thud to the ground with 7 jumping off of it and inspecting it for any further life, before

lifting her skull-met off her head.

She leaned her head to the side and looked at the other beast, which was clearly incapable of putting up any sort of fight now. It looked almost exactly like the cat-beast; however it had

fur and a long tail. Not to mention there didn't seem to be any metal connected to the beast. 7 signaled 9 to come over to where she was currently standing. He obeyed without

hesitation, knowing full well he was safest next to 7. This thought made him smile as he walked over to her. The two stitch-punks walked over to the injured intruder. Its hair bristled and

it stared at them with discomfort in its piercing yellow eyes. 7 slowly approached the creature then saw something out of the corner of her optic. There was something around the

creature's neck. 7 walked up closer to the creature before holding her spear up in a defensive position as the creature lifted its beaten and worn out body off the ground, to face 7

directly. It glared at her through its gleaming yellow pupils before pulling its lips back to show its sharp gleaming teeth. 7 didn't move. She wasn't going to be caught off guard this time.

The beast hunched back on its back legs than sprang at 7 like the speed of a dart plummeting on top of her. She barely had any time to think when she realized she was caught once

again by the same creature as yesterday.

"9!! Grab this!" 7 threw her spear towards 9 before the furry monster noticed she was able to move her arms. 9 caught the spear, almost falling in the process, before he raced in front of

7's attacker.

"Here kitty, kitty!" 9 made sure it had its attention on him before he ran with all his might to the opposite end of the library. This wasn't the first time he had been chased through this

portion of the building, so he had the upper hand. 7 grunted as the creature picked her up in its jaws then followed 9 without any hesitation. All her energy was slowly slipping away; she

had to do something quick. 7 looked around as the beast pursued 9 throughout the library's depths. She looked for anything that could help her and 9 in this situation, until she saw it.

The solution to this bad ordeal was straight ahead.

"9!" 9 heard 7 shouting at him, and turned his head in her direction causing his optics to shot open in shock at seeing 7 stuck between the creature's jaws.

"9, listen to me keep running forward as fast as you can before I saw to stop and duck." 9 nodded his head and did what 7 asked of. He wondered what her plan must've been because

the situation they were in now was defiantly not one that they could make a mistake on. That's when 9 noticed it. A shelf of books was stack unevenly straight ahead of him. 9 ran with all

his might, hearing the pounding of feet right behind him, until 7 gave the order,

"NOW!!" 9 stopped dead in his tracks then docked, watching the attacker fly right over him and into the stack of books. It opened its mouth to let out a painful yowl, dropping 7 in the

process, before it collapsed on the hard, cold floor, unconscious. 9 grabbed 7's hand and helped her up before giving her spear back to her. She thanked him with a nod then looked at

the beast. Its coat was brownish-tan with countless black stripes overlapping it. It had white whiskers and piercing green eyes. 7 walked over to the beast neck then looked at the

leather collar it was wearing. It read "X-ray."

**

* * *

**

**Hmmm, well if you guessed what it was, you were right. If you didn't then I will tell you right now. **

**X-ray is a living, breathing, short-haired, Bengal cat, and also a very important new character in the future chapters of this story. Sorry about the lacking of 3 and 4 barely being in this chapter. Sorry to those who wanted to see 3 get revenge on 4. Next chapter we will be seeing the rest of the group again, along with some more 9/7 moments lol. Until then, give me your thoughts on the story thus far. Reviews are greatly appreciated. See yah soon!**

**~Pronzo**


	5. Revenge and its glory

**Few, I'm back again with chapter 5! It was my birthday on November 12****th****, and what an exciting one it was, so sorry for the longer wait. I would also like to thank ****Scottygirl**** for contributing some 9/7 moments for this chapter. Go check out their story called "Moonstone Warrior" it has a lot of potential. Anyways, once again this fan-fiction is rated "T" for now but will be changed later on in the story to "M" for: Romance, language, violence, and lots of character interactions. I also really like reviews; they keep up my spirit to submit the chapters faster. So please give me your thoughts about this story. ENJOY!!!**

* * *

3 and 4 chased each other around the sun-lit library, as if their very lives depended on it. 3 was going to make sure that payback was given to 4 for scaring him two nights

ago. However he recently couldn't give what 4 had coming to him because of the situation that was occurring at the moment.

* * *

7 knotted the rope around X-ray's collar tighter, making sure that it wouldn't come loose if the cat struggled. 9 looped the other end of the rope to an old chair with 7's help of

course. This way, if they turned their backs on the injured feline, they wouldn't have to worry about him attacking them once again. The giant fur-ball squirmed around trying to lift its

battered body off the ground but it was no use. It rested its head on the ground observing the stitch-punks closely. 9 noticed this as he looked at X-ray himself.

"Hey 7, he keeps looking at us funny." 7 turned and looked at X-ray with fierceness in her optics. X-ray only looked at her for a second before shifting his gaze to the side, obviously

defeated in the staring contest. 7 smirked as she saw him turn his head away, and then looked back over to 9.

"That better?" She chuckled to herself then lifted up her spear and walked over to the exhausted 3 and 4 lying on the ground.

"Did you guys find a remedy for X-ray's wounds yet?" 3 and 4 both looked at each other before giving 7 two big grins then running off into a dark corner, only reappearing seconds later

with a rather large book. 7 stared blankly at the cover. It read "Veterinary Training for Dummies" 7 looked at the twins with a death-like stare, sending shivers to run down their clothed

backs. 7 grinned an evil smirk before opening the book to the index.

"Remind me to get you guys later for this." Once 7 began reading the index searching for "Cat injury"

3 and 4 decided to make a hasty escape, however 4 stuck out his copper foot tripping 3 as he tried to escape 7's wrath. 3 hit the ground and tumbled down the floor doing a few

summersaults until he hit a brick square flat in the optics. 4 laughed to himself in his head. Revenge was ever so sweet.

As 7 flipped through the book to the page 97 where it read "gashes or deep wounds" in big, bright red letters, 9 looked at 7 from behind. He watched her intently as her head swayed

left to right reading the text on the page. He looked further down her back to her half covered up 7. He wondered what it would feel like to touch it, then looked down at the string tied

around her waist. His hands twitched a little bit, realizing that he wanted to take it off really badly. 9 shook his head and tried to pry his gaze off her body, but it wasn't working. He was

so intent on her figure he didn't see X-ray staring at him.

X-ray lifted up his lip and let a toothy smile creep onto his face. He didn't know why but he just couldn't get past the fact that 9 and 7 had actually caught him, when they were his

prey in the first place. He looked around his surroundings then saw a couple of books, stacked neatly next to the occupied 7, and dazed 9. X-ray was going to have some fun with them.

He slowly lifted his ragged body up, making sure that his sudden movement didn't cause the stitch-punks to notice him. However he was in the clear, due to the fact that 3 and 4 were

nowhere to be seen, 7 who was too busy reading some book, and 9 who seemed to be off in happy land. X-ray let a growl slowly come up its throat then rammed his body into the side

of the pile of stack books. 9 and 7 both seemed to flinch at the same and both turned to see what was happening, but before they could do anything about it, the books landed in a

cluster on top of them.

* * *

9 coughed, trying to get the dust out of his system.

"What the hell just happened?" 9 opened his optics to see that he was buried under a large pile of books. His damaged leg ached with such an intense pain, that he almost let out a

scream of agony. Then, a horrible thought occurred to him.

"Where is 7?!" 9 began to panic; he squeezed through the books, ignoring his even more damaged leg and started to shout out 7's name, hoping to get some sort of response to show

that she was still alive.

"7?!? ARE YOU OK?! WHERE ARE YOU? ANSWER ME, PLEASE!!" 9 suddenly heard a muffled sound from his right, underneath an old book that seemed to be faded so that he couldn't make

out the title. 9 limped over to where he heard the sound and then lifted up the side of the book with all his strength. 7 pushed herself out gasping for air, and coughing up dust when 9

let go of the book, letting it hit the floor causing a loud echoing sound to flow throughout the library.

"That damn cat! He probably had something to do with this." 7 continued to mumble swear words under her breath until 9 limped over to her side and put a hand on her shoulder,

checking to make sure she was alright. However just when he thought they were about to have a bounding moment, a rumble emerged from above them, then the books above them

started to collapse once more. 7 looked up then shoved herself and 9 through a tight opening, just before books landed in the very spot they were standing only moments ago, before

losing herself to deep, dark, blackness.

* * *

3 and 4 stumbled around, looking for something interesting to read. It had been a while since they had been in the reading mood, but ever since 9 had shown up; it had somehow re-

sparked their interest in books. 3 was just about to open a book about reverse physiology, when a loud crash echoed throughout the library.

* * *

7 awoke lightheaded, she couldn't see, couldn't think, and the enormous amount of dust in the air, caused her to cough like crazy. She tried to shift her body however it was stuck in

the tight place where she had pushed 9 and herself into earlier.

"Wait a minute…9!!" 7 moved her head around, which seemed to be the only part of her body besides her hands, which she could actually move.

"Aghh, my head…" The suddenly noise erupted right next to 7 causing her to flinch.

"9?" 9 opened his optics to come face to face with 7. Their bodies seemed to be pressed together chest to chest, between two books. Both of them seemed to be very surprised at how

close they were, and they both instantly looked in different directions. 7 was the one to break the awkward silence.

"9, try to see if you can get out, because I am currently incapable to do so at the moment." 9 could've sworn that he saw 7 blushing. 9 nodded, then looked at 7

"I'll try to." 9 began to move his body, rubbing against 7 in the process. 7 remained silent however turning her head in the other direction, trying not to make eye contact with 9. 9

continued to move his body, trying to find some sort of space between them to get them unstuck, but it just wasn't working, however, he continued squirming trying to get loose

anyways. 7 on the other hand couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Would you please stop rubbing you're body against mine already?!" 7's body was on fire now and her usual white face was probably cherry red at that very moment. 9 flinched and

instantly became embarrassed.

"We are in a very tight space! There is not much room to move in here. There is nothing I can do about it at the moment." 7's body twitched at being so close to 9. It felt so…right being

so close to 9, only inches away from his face, so easy to just grab his zipper and..! 7 slammed her head into the back of the book, causing 9 to stop squirming for a moment then get back

to what he was doing. She had to get away from his body before…devious things came to mind. 7's train of thought was instantly broken when she felt 9's waist accidently push up

against hers. She almost lost it at that point. She was just about to grab 9 and shove him against the book out of lust, until 9's voice interrupted her.

"I think I'm loose." 9 gave one last push before he toppled until the ground with 7 falling right behind him. When 9 looked up he saw 7 laying on top of him with her optics wide open.

They looked at each other for what seemed like hours to 9 before 7 hastily got off 9 and turned in the opposite direction, trying to avoid his gaze.

"Sorry about that" 7 said before turning back to face 9. Her embarrassment seemed to already had disappear before he could say a single word. 9 was dragged back to reality when 7's

sharp, sudden voice spoke something to him.

"I found an exit. Are you coming or not?"

"Aghh, yah. Sorry." 9 grabbed 7's hand that she was offering to him and she helped pull him out of the gigantic pile of books. When 9 exited the book maze, fresh air replace his entire

system filled with dust and he could breath more easily again.

"I never thought I would say this, but boy am I glad that the emptiness has fresh air." 7 raised one of her stitched eyebrows before looking out into the emptiness at the factories

producing smoke out of huge power plants.

"Really?" 9 looked down at the ground once again, because of another stupid thing he had said. He lifted his head, but before he could do anything 7's face was right in front of his,

causing him to gasp and fly backwards, landing hard on his backside.

7 couldn't hold back her laughing anymore. She fell onto the ground laughing and slamming her cooper fist into the ground. 9 leaned up of the floor then looked down at 7, who was now

hysterically laughing her ass off, because of him. 9 only smiled then began to laugh himself before the library was full with laughter.

* * *

X-ray watched the two stitch-punks emerge from the maze of books then watched 7 scare 9 causing him to fall down, making 7 laugh very hard. His ear twitch and he lifted up a bruised

leg to scratch it. Maybe these stitch-punks were going to be interesting after all. Maybe being here wasn't such a bad idea. X-ray slowly let a smile creep its way onto his face, before a

yell from the opposite end of the library grabbed his attention. He lifted his lips back and growled a very loud growl from his throat.

7 instantly stopped laughing, when she heard X-ray growl. Something was up, if the giant feline was not liking something. She grabbed 9, who had also stopped laughing, pulled down

her skull-met and grabbed her spear, before running to the library's entrance with 9 trailing behind her, with a rusty old nail. They stopped infront of the library entrance keeping hiding to

make sure nothing could see them, until they heard someone stumble and fall down. 7 squeezed 9's shoulder, signaling that it was now or never, before they both jumped out and

landed on the intruder. 7 pointed her spear into the intruder's face while 9 pinned the intruder down with his weight.

"9?!" 9 looked up to see a be-wildered 2 standing at the entrance of the library. 9's mouth instantly dropped and he looked down at the now struggling intruder.

"OH MY GOD, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!" 9 and 7 stared blankly at 5 who was pinned down on the floor by the both of them. 7 instantly looked at 9 and 9 looked right back at her before

they both got off of 5, and helped him up. A sudden yowl was heard throughout the library, until X-ray came flying through a pile of books landed just behind 9 and 7. X-ray then stood up

on all fours and looked down at 5 and 2. 5 nearly fainted, while 2 looked up at X-ray in bewilderment. 7 stepped back closer to 9, then 2 spoke.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." 9 and 7 sweat dropped.

**

* * *

**

**And there you guys have it. Chapter 5 and its wondrous glory. You can personally thank Scottygirl for that wonderful idea about 9 and 7 getting stuck between some books lol. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I am excited to start chapter 6 and get it posted up here as fast as I freaking can. I tried to show a little bit more 9/7 moments in this one, seeing as the other chapters seemed to be lacking a lot of it. Lol, anyways it looks like 2 and 5 have discovered 9 and 7's hideout along with their new companion X-ray. What will become of this incedent you say? Well you will just have to wait until chapter 6 gets posted. Remember, the more reviews I get, the sooner the chapter will be posted onto Fan-ficiton, and the sooner I will feel like writing it. Until then, best regards.**

**~Pronzo**


	6. A Look Into The Past

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!! Here is chapter 6 for all of you! I hope you are all enjoying the turkey! I was eating mine, then I realized something…Chapter 6 hadn't been submitted yet! So I sat there like this "O.o" then rushed over to my laptop to get it submitted. Anyways, as always this fan-fiction is rated "T" for now but will change to "M" later for: Violence, Romance, language, and lots of character interactions. By the way, thanks for the reviews from:

_**Hiezen Uchiha**__**, **__**KnucklesRedFury207.2**__**, and **__**scottygirl**__**. And to anyone reading this fan-fiction, please review! Enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

7 walked in front of the rest of the group as she led them all back inside of the library. X-ray was trying to keep pace with her, staying next to her side examining the stitch-punks

behind them with his deep green eyes. He may still have been injured, but he could put up a somewhat good fight even though there was clearly no threat here at the moment. 7 noticed

X-ray staring back at 9,5, and 2 as they continued forward. She closed her optics and put her copper hands behind her white burlap head and smiled.

"Don't worry about 2 and 5 X-ray, 2 is old and 5 couldn't hurt a fly. Besides, if they were a threat, me and 9 could surely take them down." X-ray looked down at 7 noticing how relaxed

and semi-non tense she was, and then decided that he would let his guard down…this time.

* * *

9 and 5 talked non-stop to each other about what had occurred in both of their lives since 9 went missing. 5 told 9 how he and 2 had become worried when he didn't return to the

cathedral and that they had confronted 1 about the serious matter. 9 looked at 5 with a questioning face,

"What did he say when you guys told him?" 5's smile disappeared instantly and he sighed contently.

"He said good riddance." 9 sighed then scratched his head. This didn't surprise him one bit. He already knew that 1 despised him with all of his being. 9 simply gave 5 a pat on the back

then recalled something 5 had said to him a few weeks ago.

"It's ok 5; it's just like what a wise friend of mine just once said. 1 is just a-"

* * *

1 suddenly felt his throat grow itchy, then sneezed louder than he ever had before. The force from the sneeze sent him rolling down the steps of his own throne, and into a open bottle of

6's thick, rich, black ink. 1 grunted as he pushed himself off the ground and looked at the mess he had created all over himself.

"DAMN-IT 6!!!" 1 trotted off leaving ink-stained foot prints to who knows where obviously looking for 8 in order to fetch him and make him clean up the mess he had created. After the cost

was clear of the old ink covered, and there was no gigantic dimwit to be seen, 6 slowly crept out of the corner and to smiled to himself after seeing the mess that 1 had just made, then

he began to laugh. 1 probably didn't know it, but he had made what appeared to be an imprint of himself on the cathedral's floor, like a snow angel in some pure white glistening snow.

He would defiantly have to tell 5 and 2 about this as soon as they got back.

* * *

5 grinned back at 9, seeing as he had recalled calling 1 these exact same words a while ago.

"You got to tell that to 1's face sometime in the near future 9, it would be priceless." 9 exchanged a glance with 5 then they both randomly started laughing. 2 smiled one of his big goofy

grins before smacking 9 on the back.

"This is smashing, smashing!" 9 smiled at 2's friendly gesture then sighed happily and continued to follow 7 and X-ray back to the domain where 3 and 4 currently were. When they finally

reached the center if the library, 7 walked over to a cracked bell then lifted up the end of her spear with the metal loop. She waited a few seconds before slamming it down on the bell,

causing a ringing vibration to surge through all of the stitch-punks bodies. 9 swore he saw X-ray cringe. As the ringing began to cease, 3 and 4 came flying out of nowhere landing on 5

and 2, flickering their optics happily

"They have been here all this time?!" 5 laughed and rubbed his copper hands on their cloth covered heads. 2 simply smiled before getting up and walking over to the silent 7.

"I don't believe it, we thought you guys were dead." 7 grimaced before sharply retorting

"Is that what that stubborn old bastard and his big twit told you?" 2 gave 7 a hard stare, causing her to back down a bit and have second thoughts about arguing.

"Think what you may about 1, however he is still one of us; he is family." 7 snorted at his comment and leaned back against a hard covered book. No matter how much 2 wanted her to,

she would never like had been the whole reason why she had left with the twins in the first place. She frowned when said event shot back into her mind.

**

* * *

**

**3 Years Before. **

7 stared off into space as she sat at the cathedral's entrance. Her number could be clearly seen, with no rough, red scrap piece of cloth cover nearly half of it. She was sharpening her

spear, grinding it's edge against a smooth rock. Sparks flickered off the blade as she once again pushed the end of the blade across the rock's surface. 3 and 4 where playing in front of

her tackling each other, trying to be determined who was stronger of the two. She sighed and set her metallic silver spear on the ground beside her and watched the twins intently. How

she had gotten in this mess, was all 5's fault. He had asked her to watch the twins so that he and 2 could finish their project with out the curious twins wondering over to them and

disrupting their progress. Suddenly, a noise came from behind her, and she turned to see "8 the twit" her personal nickname for 8, standing a few feet away from her. He stared down at

her and back up when he saw her put her copper fingers around her spear.

"What does sir bitch a lot want this time?" She turned her head back toward the twins. Her gaze was focused and stern. 8 nervously scratched the back of his head then spoke.

"1…aghh…wants to have a talk with you bout' something." 7's frown deepened and her fist squeezed tightly against her spear. She lifted her slim, white body off the ground then walked

past 8 with an unreadable expression. 8 grunted then called out to her. "I'll watch the twins for yah." 8 knew that he wasn't too bright, but he wanted to stay on 7's good side. 1 paced

around the throne whipping his red, torn cape around every time he turned. He held his cane with his left hand while his right hand hid behind his back. He was constantly mumbling

something to himself and stopped and turned when he saw 7 approaching him with a dull expression panted on her face.

"What do you want this time you're majesty?" 7 announced as she bowed, then looked up mockingly, at the now furious looking 1. He slammed his cane on the ground,

"THAT!" 7's smile remained on her face.

"You never listen, you never do what I ask of you, and you are just a burden to the entire tribe!" 7 shifted her weight onto her side then crossed her arms across her chest, lifting a

stitched eyebrow, making a "oh really" face at 1. 1 just ignored it then continued,

"I can't deal with your attitude anymore 7, you have to listen to me, and if you don't I'll-"

"You'll what?!" 7 interrupted "Send that huge twit after me?! Or have you forgotten that you've already done that like fifty times, all ending in the same conclusion with 8 knocked out and

you fuming in a corner." 1's grip greatened around his cane.

"Then I'll do it again. 8!" A few seconds passed before 8 emerged from the bucket-like-elevator. He stiffened when he saw 7 staring at him with his fiery optics, and he suddenly knew

that he wouldn't be leaving this room without some sort of injury. 8 slowly lifted his hand and pulled out his weapon, which was a simple kitchen knife, attached to a rusty, old nail with

some wire. 1 smiled then walked back to his throne, before sitting down comfortably, getting ready for the show that was about to unfold. 7 glared at 8, before gripping her spear and

getting in a defensive position, 8 smiled then charged at her like a bull would at a red piece of cloth. She readied herself then pounced off the ground like a wildcat jumping over 8's

charging form then landed on the ground behind him before swiftly swiping her leg under 8's tripping him and causing him to hit the ground with a loud thud. 8 push his body up then

swung his large lethal blade at 7 slashing one of her shoulder's in the process. 7 grunted then jumped back examining the minor wound. She could she sparks flying out of the joint that

he had cut through, and then a sharp pain erupted from it. She grabbed it and looked other at 8 to see him coming at her once more. 1 smiled, and sunk deeper into his throne. He had

seen the worried expression 7 had possessed moments ago and instantly become amused. 7 ducked another swing as 8 kept up the attack. She rolled to his side then swiftly stabbed it

with her spear, making him yell then swing his blade in her direction once more. She ducked then rolled over to the side and back up until she bumped into the wall. 8 smiled while holding

his injured side, before raising his blade again then swinging his weapon down onto 7. She shot up her spear and a thunderous clang rang throughout the library. 7 and 8 kept both of

their stances firm as their blades collided over and over again sending sparks to go flying. 7 stared at 8 and he stared back, both not wanting to give up the fight, both wanting to prove

who the better fighter was. 7 suddenly lessened her force against his blade causing him to fall forward, and then she hit the ground with her back and kicked out her feet catching the

falling 8, then pushing back and sending him flying over her head and into a pile of books. 8 reemerged almost instantly then swing his blade down aiming for his head. She gasped then

rolled over, with the blade landing inches away from her head. She saw her reflection in the blade then got up and stumbled backwards before regaining her balance. Another wave of

pain erupted from her wound and caused her to fall on one knee. 8 took advantage of this then charged at her, ramming her into the stone wall of the cathedral, then lifted her up by her

neck. She dropped her blade then grabbed at her throat trying to relieve the pressure 8 was applying to it. 7 then suddenly grabbed one of 8's finger then pried it off with all her might. 8

screamed then threw 7 to the side, then grabbed his broken hand. 7 rolled then hit the throne' steps snapping her back, causing yet another wave of pain to shot through her battered

body. 8 scream again then grabbed her spear and threw it at her. 7's optics stared at 8 then down at her spear, that was now penetrated her form. It was lodged in her stomach and

through her back stuck in the step behind her. She struggled then, gasped when the spear inside her, knocked up against her inner metallic frame and gears. 8 walked over to the

struggling 7 with a devilish grin on his face. She looked up at him and saw murder written all over his face. She watched as he lifted his sword then brought it down on her with all his

might.

* * *

**Present Time:**

7 put her hand on the red patch on her back. She would never forget that day. 2 looked at her worryingly, noticing how lost in thought she was. He was just about to ask her if something

was bothering her until a giant shadow emerged in front of him. 2 looked up and saw X-ray staring down at him with 3 and 4 on his back. He looked at them for a second then an idea hit

him. He grabbed 5 and chatted with him in a corner of the room. 9 noticed the two chatting in secrecy, and then chuckled to himself. Those two always where chatting about something,

and it was always something interesting. He looked at them once more before averting his gaze over to the thoughtful 7. He wondered what she was thinking about. Hell, it could be

anything; she was so hard to figure out some times. He decided that he would get her out of her funk then snuck off to the library elevator. Once he reached the second level, he stared

down at the un-expecting 7 then grinned. He was only about 5 feet above her, so it wouldn't hurt if he fell and hit the ground. He slowly walked over the wooden platforms and dust. It

was so dark that he didn't happen to see that rope get caught around his foot.

5 and 2 returned with huge smiles on their faces. 7 stared at them questionably then backed up a bit when they continued to smile at her.

"What do you guys want? And please stop smiling like that." 5 and 2 looked at each other then 2 stepped out towards 7.

"Well, I was thinking, X-ray fought with equal strength against the cat beast, am I not correct?" 7 nodded then remembered that 9 had told them how they had come across X-ray, as

they were returning to the library's main room.

"Well, me and 5 decided that if any other machines where to attack you, that maybe you could be a little better armed in defense, so we came to the conclusion that we would make you

a saddle for the X-ray in cause of another beast attacking you guys." 7 stared at 2 then at X-ray with the twins still riding his back as he walked around the library, making them flicker

with happiness. Then she looked back at 2.

"That sounds like an excellent idea 2 in fact-"

"!" 7, 2, and 5 looked up to see a falling 9 land right in front of them dangling with his foot caught on a rope from above them.

"Crap, I must've not seen that hole." 9 opening his optics to come face to face with a smiling 7, only inches away from him.

"Ah heheh….hey guys, what's up?" 9 watched as 7 lifted her spear, the slash the rope causing him to hit the ground with a thud. He lay there, trying to regain his balance, before 7

reached a hand to help him up, which he took without any thought. When he had finally regained his balance and was on his feet again, he commented on 7's strength. She merely

laughed then playfully punched him in the shoulder. 2 smiled then nodded his head at the two stitch-punks.

"We will be making our departure now 7. I hope that you and the twins will watch 9's back?" 7 laughed then gave him a playful look.

"How much trouble could he be? If 1 hates him like 5 saws, then he's a friend of mine." 2 and 5 laughed then they waved to them before they disappeared into the emptiness. 9 watched

as they made their leave and felt a little sad when they were no longer in his presence.

"They'll be back, don't worry about it." 9 looked over to 7 who were looking at him with a look that made him want to melt. She really was a mystery, with probably thousands of secrets

hiding within her very mind. He would do all that he could to find them all out, one way or another.

"9 come over here, quickly!" 9 rushed over to 7, and then she put her copper finger up against her lips and pointed. There in a pile of books, was X-ray with 3 and 4 snuggled into his fur

sound asleep. 9 smiled then said goodnight to 7. He watched her retire to her room, then shut the door. He then retreated to his bed that they had all pitched in to help make, and laid

down. Maybe this was what he needed; a true family.

* * *

**I have three words for all of you. I AM TIRED. I am seriously about to fall asleep right now lol. Anyways, I hoped you all enjoyed chapter 6. I tried to go back to explain some of 7's past, and why she might have left the original group. And 5 and 2 are finally going to make a saddle for X-ray so that 7 can ride him for scouting and into battle. The next chapter will have a lot of things occur, including some bad things as well. There will also be more 9/7 moments, so get ready! Don't forget to review, and share your opinions about that story, how I could improve it, and what you would like to see happen in the story in the future. Until then, best regards!**

**~Pronzo**


	7. Trouble is Rising

**Alright, before you guys go all out on me for being a day late, please keep in mind that finals are next week for me and I got a lot on my mind (^.^;) . Other than that, I have an important announcement about this story and my updates for the next month. Since the dreaded final season of December is here, this will probably be my last update until Christmas. I might update sooner, but that is highly unlikely. Anyways as you already know, this fan-fiction is rated "T" for now, but will be changing later to "M" for: Violence, Romance, Character interactions, Language, and alcohol or oil for the stitch-punks sake. Besides that, please rate and review and enjoy chapter 7.**

* * *

9 shifted in his makeshift bed, mumbling something un-intelligible in his sleep. He shifted his head, trying to find a suited position for his head to relax, but failing miserably.

9 finally gave in and opened his optics to pure white sunlight, streaming through an old window near his bed.

"Guess its morning then" 9 said with a yawn before lifting his stiff body off the bed and stretching to get the stiffness to disappear. A sudden uncomfortable feeling washed through his

body and then a slight pain caused him to quince. His leg had not yet been repaired and it seemed to be getting worse by each passing day. 9 looked at it for a few minutes trying to

recall what 2 had told him to do while he and 5 were away, searching for materials for X-ray's soon to be saddle and new gears and a iron bar to fix his useless one with. He took one last

glance at it before slowly limping over to the cane 7 had made for him, until his injury could be fixed. As 9 stepped out into the library's center, light seemed to pour out from all directions.

This was truly a wakeup call. 9 continued through the center than heard noises from behind him. Surely 3 and 4 weren't going to pull such a predictable trick this early in the morning

would they? 9 stopped walking then stood there on his cane waiting for the impact,

"3…2…1…!" 3 and 4 came flying out from behind him, with the same goal of taking him down and not letting go till he cried mercy from them tickling him. However luck seemed to be on his

side today, as he swiftly stepped to the side watching the twins fly past him into the side of a bucket filled with water, dripping from a leak in the ceiling. A loud clang erupted from it and 9

was on the floor a minute later laughing his head off. Just as he was beginning to regain his composure and catch his breath, a clutter of noises and curses came from 7's room. 9 stared

at her door hearing thumping noises and glass shattering not to mention, the constant yelling coming from 7, but who was she yelling at? 9 and the twins didn't get a chance to even

blink before 7's door slammed open and X-ray bounded out holding her spear in his mouth, with a fuming 7 at his heels. 9 stared mouth open, as X-ray jumped over him and landed with

swiftness and grace, before bonding off in the other direction. 9 then realized something; he turned his head just in time before 7 slammed into him. They skidded across the floor then hit

the bucket where the twins stood moments ago with a bang. 3 and 4 hid behind an open book, and X-ray poked his head out from behind them, observing the scene too with 7's spear

still locked in his teeth.

"Aghh, my head." 9 pushed himself off his elbows and rubbed the now tender spot where 7 had rammed into him. Wait a minute, where 7 had ran into him…

"7!" 9 quickly gets up and off of 7, who is struggling to take in air at the moment. He quickly grabs her by her arm and yanks her up onto her feet. He looks her up and down looking for

any injuries that she could've gotten from the collision. 7 watches 9 look her over as her head throbs from pain. She suddenly becomes uneasy and a weird feeling inside her inner gears

starts to stir. 9 continues to examine her until her body suddenly stiffens. That's his cue to stop what he's doing or he's going to get one right in the face.

"Well you don't seem to be hurt, but you must have some sort of headache you should probably-"

"Never mind that" snapped 7, "I need to find that big fuzz ball and get my spear back so I can teach him a lesson about messing with another's belongings. 7 takes a chance to give a

quick and deadly glare in X-ray's direction, causing him to snap his head back behind the books. 9 just smiles as 7 walks past him hunched over with anger and behind the book where X-

ray was hiding. 9 and the twins watch as X-ray once again bounds of further into the library with the spear in his teeth, once again with a furious 7 giving chase. When the shouting and

cursing dissipates and 9 can no longer hear it he gives a quick sigh of relief. 9 knew that if 7 caught X-ray, they would probably have a new fur carpet the next day. He laughed to himself

then walked back to the hiding place of the twins. They stared at him with big optics than ran straight towards 7's room, stopping only feet away from the entrance. They turned around

to see a shocked and nervous 9 staring at them.

"You guys shouldn't go in there" He whispered "7 will kill us…or me, if she catches us in her room." He struggles to get closer to the twins trying to get them to change their minds and

just leave her room alone, but he knows that it didn't work, because they are already exploring her room and cataloging everything in sight. 9 stood there for a second, unsure of what to

do next, then slowly limped into the entrance of her room. 9 didn't know what to think…

"This is just…"

* * *

The creature squats on its hind legs then looks through the window watching the curious stitch-punk enter a room then disappear from its sight. Its six red eyes, 3 on each side of

its nose which is a huge, rusty drill swarm from side to side trying to catch glimpse of what the stitch-punk is up to now. Its two huge metallic claws connected to its feet, look of those of

raptors. Its forearms however are a different story, with their lack in length and power; they look like those of a t-rex. Its armored back is plated with rusty old nails and broken glass,

and its size is that of a mole. Once it realizes that the stitch-punk is not going to come it shrieks a glass braking noise then burrows into the ground heading back to the factory where it

was created. The fabrication machine would need to know about their whereabouts if they were to be hunted down, one by one then massacred and giving to the boss for tribute.

* * *

9 fumbled with his fingers as he limped slowly through 7's mesmerizing room and stared at the walls with awe. Weapons and treasure seemed to be placed all over the room along

with countless things that she must've dragged back from her trips in the wastelands. 9's gaze then falls upon a closed box. His curiosity gets the best of him as he limps towards it then

stares at it for awhile, as if thinking that the box will open for him on command. He leans in close then starts to lift up the lid when a sudden commotion is heard from outside. 9's heart

seems to drop to his stomach as he flies as fast as he can out of 7's room, and into a startled stitch-punk with a thump.

"Well it's nice to see you to 9." 5 says, before he gets up and examines the breathless 9 lying on the floor. Then he looks up to the room where 9 had come from and sees the twins

staring at him with shock in their optics before they too scurry out of the room.

"What where you doing in 7's ro-" 9 clamps his hand over 5's face and holds it down tight until 5 stops talking. He looks from side to side then relief fills his optics before he lowers his hand from 5's mouth.

"You didn't see anything ok, I've been here the entire time." 9 struggles out while trying to remain calm and hide a blush at the same time. 5 only nods his head before excitement fills his face.

"We got the saddle finished 9!" 5 yells with joy. "All we need now are the measurements for the leather belt that with be holding the saddle down on X-ray for 7 to ride." 9 smiles then

gives his old friend a pat on his shoulder then thanks him. 5 smiles back then a look of confusion crosses over his face.

"Speaking of 7, where is she, and X-ray too for that matter?" 9 is just about to respond before X-ray comes crashing through the opposite side of the room, bucking as 7 holds onto the back of his scruff.

"MOVE!" is all 7 shouts before 5 and 9 jump, inches away from being trampled by X-ray. X-ray continues to buck then flings his head down sending 7 flying off his back. She does a

somersault before landed on her feet and left hand effortlessly with her spear in her right. She looks up then lets a triumphing smirk appear across her features. X-ray just looks at her

with annoyance before slumping down and letting out a angry sigh. 9 then steps up next to 7 who is laughing at X-ray at the moment before putting a hand on her shoulder.

"It seems that you've got your spear back finally." 7 grins than gives him a playful shove, then walks over to 5 with 9 at her side.

"7 it's good to see you again." 5 says as he walks over then embraces 7. 7 seems a little stiff at first but then relaxes and hugs back a little. After she breaks away from the embrace, she

looks around searching for something. "Where's 2?" she asks. 5 looks around too, almost caught off guard from her question. Then he himself begins wondering where 2's whereabouts

are too, until a loud chuckle comes from behind them. "Well it's nice to see that you two are still doing well." 2 says as he pulls the roller blade holding the saddle designed for X-ray and 7

on top of it. As 5, 7, and 9 help lift the device down unto the ground, 2 pulls out a long piece of yellow measuring tape than hands a end to both 5 and 9.

"Go make yourselves useful and measure X-rays belly so I can adjust the strap to the right setting for him." 5 and 9 look at each other with uneasiness then slowly approach X-ray with

caution. He looks at them with an innocent face…to innocent for him. 9 senses X-ray is up to something then gives a small warning to 5. 5 gives a nod in understanding then signals for 9

to throw his end of the measuring tape over to him. 9 obliges and the yellow tape is sent over after two tries. 5 gently pulls the tape together than gets a measure.

"That wasn't so hard now was it?" 9 seems happy with himself then 5 speak out to 2. "The exact measure is MPPHHHH!!!!" 9 looks puzzled then turns to face 5 to see what had caused

him to end his sentence before he even got to finish it. X-ray sat mockingly onto of a struggling 5 as his only visible body parts, being his legs kicked around.

"5!" 9 shouted before running over to his friend's aid. "X-ray get up you big fuzz ball." X-ray looked down evilly at 9 then slammed his tail into 9's burlap chest, sending him flying into a

hard piece of concrete. 2 heard all the commotion then looked up from his greatest creation yet.

"What's with all the ruckus going on out here!?" 2 looked up at X-ray who was yawning at the moment then at the stitch-punk he was sitting on then the one he had pinned against the wall with his tail.

2 pinched the middle of his forehead then walked over 7 who was enjoying the whole scene herself.

"Go take care of that will you" 2 asked as he sat down next to 7. She eyed him then gave him the puppy face, trying to make him reconsider his request. 2 stared sternly at her before shove her away.

"Don't give me that, I'm too old for this sort of crap heheh." 7 smiled than gave up, obviously defeated, before helping the older stitch-punk to his feet.

"Tomorrow we test it" 2 says with confidence in his voice, "then we celebrate its success that's sure to come." She keeps the smile on her face as she walks over to X-ray and the two

dumbbells he's holding captive, loving the life she was living at the moment for the first time in a very long time, that nothing could change... or so she thought.

* * *

**So there you have it. A new threat seems to have been uncovered in this chapter. It looks like the quiet and easy days for the stitch-punks is coming to an end and a hige adventure and war is about to begin. Ready yourselves for the ride, because the story has just begun! I'm done with updates until after Christmas. Finals can really cause a person to go crazy if they don't study the right way. So I'm just going to give myself a little break then come back to the story with full force. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review! Best regards to all who read my stories. And please let me know if there is anything I can do to make the story more to your liking and/or improve it!**

**~Pronzo**


	8. Lets Party

**Phew, those finals where a pain in the ass, but I came out with flying colors! YAH! Anyway, Happy New Years Eve everybody! Can you believe it's going to be 2010? I can't seem **

**to get my mind to register around that fact. I would also like to thank Scottygirl for contributing some ideas to my story. Also I would like to ask all of my readers a favor. I just **

**recently received a new parakeet for Christmas, and it's a boy. I already have one named "Artie" but I can't seem to pick out a decent name for this one. He is completely white **

**with a little blue spot on his belly. So if any of you have some creative ideas for names please shout them out to me. As usual this fan-fiction is rated "T" for now but will change to **

**"M" later on due to: Violence, Romance, Language, Alcohol, and lots of character interactions. And as always please leave a review!**

* * *

X-ray sat and watched as the little stitch-punks lifted up a strange leather device. They set it down next to him and their optics fell upon his back before they returned to talking to one

and other about something. X-ray let his eyes drift to a shattered window that reflected the sun's rays. It showed the ultra violet colors as they appeared to be rainbows in the cracks of

the glass. His ears twitched as he caught a few words of their conversation, which was completely boring him to tears. Whatever they were up to did not seem to peak his interest at the moment.

"This is probably our best invention yet, wouldn't you say so 5?" 2 chuckled while grinning at the contraption in front of him now. "I would say you out did yourself 2." 5 said back smiling

at his mentor in the process. "Alright, alright, stop with all the sappy, happy crap. It's making me sick" 7 said, grinning making everyone laugh. 9 then looked up with worry in his optics at the Bengal cat before him.

"There is still a problem though." He announced suddenly catching everybody's attention. 7, 2 and 5 waited for him to continue. "Who is going to be the unlucky sucker to put this on him?"

7 immediately stepped back and crossed her arms. "Me and fur-ball here aren't the best of friends right now so I'm out." 9's spirit dropped a little. If there was anyone who would

have no trouble putting the saddle on X-ray it would probably be 7, even if X-ray gave her a little bit of a challenge. 5 then took his turn to speak.

"Well I can assure you that I'm not going to commit suicide today thank you." And with that, he was gone within a second, running towards the opposite direction. 2 just shook his head,

and 7 rolled her optics. 9 chuckled then realization slapped him in the face. If 7 wouldn't do and 5 wouldn't either then that left only him and 2. There was no way he would ever let the

old stitch-punk try something so dangerous so the decision of who would be the sucker to put on the device was decided. 9 gulped then raised his optics to face X-ray. "Well then I guess

it's decided." 9 walked over to the saddle and tried to lift it on his own, failing miserably in the precious making himself look like a complete idiot in-front of the others…again. "7 go over

and help him, won't you?" 2 said looking at 9 struggle to lift it again. 7 groaned then obediently walked over and lifted up the other end of the saddle. Together they lifted it up and slide it

onto X-ray's back with little struggle at all. Now comes the hard part, thought 9 as he examined the two strips that would need to be fastened around X-ray's belly. 7 walked up from

behind and sensed his worry. "I'll distract him while you fit the straps." She announced, not giving any time for 9 to respond." She walked up to X-ray until she was looking him straight in

the eyes. "Hurry up" she hissed as X-ray let a grin cross his face. 9 quickly nodded then stepped over X-rays tail he then reached out and grabbed the first strap, then located the metal

ring designed like a belt for tightening. As he slipped the leather strap through it X-ray's tail suddenly lifted off the ground then aimed start for him. 9 waited for the impact then a flash of

white crossed over before him. 7 stood with her shield, blocking

X-ray's tail. "Looks like fur-ball here has finally caught on, now hurry up before he sends us flying." 9 didn't question her and continued working. "The first one is done!" he yelled before

running over to the remaining one. 7's feet began to slide back and she pursed her lips together putting all her strength against X-ray's large tail. "Almost done." Yelled 9, as he finished

pushing the strap through the metal ring and buckling it into place. "Now!" screamed 9 as he ran jumped over X-ray's paws and past 7. "Gotcha." She said before doing a flip over his tail

and landing gracefully before pursuing 9.

"We did it." Said a breathless 9 as he sat down and leaned against a book. "Yah" choked back 7, as she too caught her breath. They both just sat there, catching their breaths before 7

choked out another sentence. "Well that went well." She said sarcastically. 9 chuckled and closed his optics as he slumped his head in-between his knees. "You could say that again." He

managed to choke out as his mechanical heart beat furiously. 7 let out one of her dorky laughs causing 9 to smile keeping his eyes closed. He took a few deep breathes them opened

them to find 7 staring at his chest. This instantly made him fell self conscious but couldn't understand why. He kept silent for a moment then gather up the courage to speak. "Um…7-7?"

she instantly shout her eyes up at his then a questionable look appeared on her face.

"Huh?" she spoke softly. 9 stopped for a second but then continued. "What are y-you looking a-at?" he stuttered. She leaned back and pointed a finger at his chest. "That red scrap

there, where did you get it?" 9 looked down at the piece of cloth that 2 and 5 used to put him back together. "Oh this? I got it from the cat beast. He nearly sliced my left arm off." He said

with a sigh, then placed his hand over the smooth material, compared to his burlap skin, then looked up to see 7 smiling at him. "I guess there is another stitch-punk in this hell-forsaken world with some balls."

At this remark 9 couldn't hold back his laughter any longer, and 7 soon joined him. The library was soon full of laughter as it echoed throughout the building. They where to busy laughing

to see 2 smiling at them from behind a book.

* * *

5 flinched as an un-explained sound found its way into the room he was in with the twins, but after making sure it wasn't a monster then continued exploring the east end of the library

until they came over a peculiar object. The twins ran past him and where cataloging it instantly. Their little optics filled with delight as they started pushing it, causing it to roll around.

After a little more inspecting, they found an opening to it and instantly got inside. 5 looked around for any clues to what it was until something caught his eye. An old soggy, decaying box

just a few inches away, the colors seemed to have drained out of the card board's texture, making it yellowish and ugly. "Wait everything in this world is yellowish and ugly." 5 said

shaking his head then walking over to look at the text written on the side of the box. A picture of a small animal was inside a ball of some sort. Then it clicked. 5 looked from the box to the

twins' new toy and realized that they were the same thing.

* * *

As the group re-gathered to the center of the library, 2 was waiting patiently for them all. "Looks like you guys got the job done." 2 said while leaning over to see a sleeping X-ray a few

feet away with the saddle attached to his back. "Yeah, fur-ball there almost smashed us like bugs." 7 interrupted while rolling her eyes. 9 sneaked a glance at her then looked down at

the floor letting a simile cross his features. "Well anyways" 2 started again, "A celebration is defiantly in order." He announced with a prideful smile. He walked over to 7 and whispered a

question to her. 9 suddenly saw a big grin cross her face as she sprinted off towards who knows where. "Moments later she, came back pulling the same rolling device that helped move

the saddle, only this time a large metal container of some sort was in its place. When she finally reached them she patted her hands together, making the dust fly off them, and then

cracked her knuckles. 2 then stepped up besides her and put his hands on his hips. "This my friends is oil." 5's optic grew wide then he raced over to it. "Where did you find this?! My last

supplement ran out months ago!" There was a long pause as everyone looked at 5 with startled faces. He just looked around from each of them then smiled innocently. "What?" he

squeaked out. "Anyways" 2 continued. "Since you all did such a good job and we have been re-united with 7 and the twins, I thought that we all deserved a little treat, and it just so

happens that 7 here had some oil to spare. 5 mouthed a silent thank you to 7, making her chuckle. "Let's get this party started now shall we?" she spoke before snapping her fingers.

Suddenly lights flashed on and the whole room became lit with colorful brightness. The sudden change of light also seemed to wake X-ray up as he stirred awake. He then came face to

face with the twins who held 7's spear in their hands, bringing a smile to his face. Then the three of them, with the twins on the saddle, silently sneaked away.

"Have I ever t-told you the story of when I lost m-my e-eye?" 5 stuttered obviously drunk. "He's not a strong drinker" whispered 7 as she slammed down her 5th cup of oil. "And I

suppose you are?" questioned 9 as he watched her get another shoot. "You better believe it." She said smiling then sat down next to him. 9 had never had oil before but it turned out he

was a strong drinker himself. He was already on his 4rth cup, which in his case was pretty impressive. 2, who had found an old record player, thought it would be nice to have some

music, so he had been constantly changing the records for different songs. The one playing now was jazzy with a saxophone playing in the background, making the room have a mellow

feeling to it. 9 relaxed into his chair and took gulped down another shoot of oil. He was positive that it would be his last for the night, but he was dead wrong.

* * *

_**Three Hours later…**_

* * *

"Hey 9!" 5 shouted walking over to 9. "9 sat in his chair with a goofy look on his face. He had just finished his 9th shoot. "W-what's up?" 9 said keeping the goofy expression planted on

his face. 5 stumbled over and stopped to the side of 9. "Look at that hottie." 5 said pointing his finger at 7, who was obviously drunk as well. I guess she wasn't as a strong drinker as

she thought she was 9 thought, but who was he to talk. He was drunk too. "5, you're drunk, and stop t-talking about 7." 9 grumbled. 5 looked down at 9 then laughed "Well she is! Why?

Do you think she's hot? You m-must, if you don't t-then you must be g-gay." 9 punched 5 in the side jokingly causing both of them to laugh, then 9 did something that he would never do

while sober. "She is pretty h-hot huh?" 9 stuttered out, causing 5 to grin. "Go talk to h-her, I dare yah." 5 said. 9 narrowed his eyes at his friends challenge then got up "Watch me" he

said before walking over to where 7 was relaxing. 7 opened one of her optics, as 9 approached her, obviously still alert. She had gone looking for the twins an hour ago and found them

holding her spear. When she gave chase they ran away with equal speed clicking their optics in delight as 7 shouted some colorful words at them. As they ran around X-ray got involved

and cut off 7 from the twins. She backed up as X-ray walked closer to her then something made her fall backwards into a strange ball. Before she knew it, the twins where sealing the

opening shut and running over towards a grinning X-ray. She yelled some more colorful words at them before slamming herself against the side of the ball causing the ball to begin to roll.

When she gathered herself she started running and the ball shoot full speed at the twins and X-ray, with a very angry 7 inside. The twins made a break for it while X-ray stood his ground.

He stuck out a paw and stopped the charging 7 and then began to spin the ball in a circle causing 7 to become dizzy. It was actually quite a funny sight, seeing 7 be spun around like a

toy while she screamed all types of colorful words. When he finally stopped It took her a full thirty minutes to convince the twins to let her out before she gave to chase to them once

more then giving them a good beating. When she got back from her little detour, she was so stressed that she had downed another five shoots of the rich, oil and before she knew it, she

was drunk out of her mind. When 9 finally reached her she pulled herself up to a sitting position to face him. He grinned at her with a goofy expression confirming her suspicion of him being drunk too.

"I thought you said you were a strong drinker" he said before supporting his body off a book. 7 looked up at him and smiled "I am, I just had a little too many." 9 laughed "You think so?"

7 laughed one of her dorky laughs then stood up on her wobbly legs, then put her copper hands on her hips. "So what do I owe the pleasure of you coming over to talk to me?" She teased.

9 laughed then slowly let a smirk cross his face. I was just wondering what a beautiful lady like yourself was doing over here alone." 7 punched him in the shoulder playfully "I like my space" she replied. Then she walked over to him and swirled her finger on his chest "But you're company is just as good" she said before winking and walking further into the library

beckoning a very shocked 9 to follow. When she finally decided to stop and look out at the moonlight that was shining through one of the only non-broken windows in the building, 9

caught up to her then stood there stunned at 7's action. Was she really doing this, or was the alcohol in her system so strong that it was messing with her mind? 7 looked at him then

snapped her fingers "Hello, earth to 9? You still in there?" 9 broke from his thoughts then nodded his head slowly. "I just didn't know that you could be so…so-" "Girly?" she interrupted

laughing at her own statement. "N-no" 9 stuttered "B-but…devious." She laughed then placed a hand on his shoulder. "You haven't seen nothing yet." She said while grinning. 9 looked at

her with a seductive smile. "And what is that supposed to m-mean"? He asked. She grabbed him by zipper and pulled his face close to hers. "Do you really want to know?" she asked with a smirk. 9 grinned and responded. "What do you think?" he said in a devious tone. That was all the answer she needed before her lips smashed into his.

* * *

**Whoa that was unexpected. Wait, no it wasn't lol. Anyways I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I laughed along the entire way with everything that went on in it. A lot happened **

**if you ask me. I would like to thank Scottygirl again for the idea about 7 getting trapped in a hamster ball. I would also like to know how everybody liked this chapter and what **

**they thought of it. Please review, it means a lot to me and keeps my inspiration high, so that I can submit these chapters faster. Thanks and Happy New Years Eve! Best regards**

**~Pronzo**


	9. A Celebration Cut Short

**So I said that I would have this out January 5****th****, but I got side tracked and forgot to get it up so I know it's a few days late and I'm sorry ****. Remember this fan-fiction is rated "T" for now but will change to "M" later for: Violence, Romance, Language, and lots of character interactions. **

**Current chapter rating: T. No mature stuff in this chapter so don't worry about anything mature…yet. Lol**

* * *

9 stood there in utter shock as 7 smashed her lips onto his. What had just happened? Did 7 lose her mind?! His mind was foggy and he had trouble thinking any other thoughts. What is

going on? His body started to relax and lean into the kiss itself. 9 had no control over his movements and soon he found his hands around 7's waist. Her own hands already had seemed

to find their way up around his neck. He knew this was wrong. I wasn't right to be doing this when 7 wasn't herself. He needed to stop and fast. As if on cue a rumble erupted from the

earth below their feet.

X-ray's ears perked as a sudden vibration tuned in on them. He lifted his and looked around. The twins were snuggled in his fur, deep asleep with smiles on their faces. The vibration grew

stronger. Almost immediately he was on his paws nudging the twins awake. Something was up and he didn't like it. Once the twins settled on the saddle, he took off in a dash towards

where the others were. When he burst into the room, he found 2 and 5 already on guard. 2 turned around and saw the twins and X-ray.

"I was wondering where you guys ran off to." He spoke before turning towards 5. "That leaves 9 and 7. Any ideas where they headed off to?" 2 asked. 5 rubbed a copper hand across

the back of his burlap head. "No c-clue" 5 grumbled obviously still in the effects of alcohol. 2 shook his head then looked up at X-ray. X-ray's eyes seemed focused and stern and before 2

could say anything he dashed off towards the source of the noise. "NO WAIT!" 2 yelled reaching a hand out as if to grab something. He watched X-ray until he was out of sight then

turned around to face the twins and 5. "Let's go" 5 and the twins nodded before following 2 who was hot on X-ray's trail.

9 and 7 hide underneath a stack of books. 9 wasn't sure how they got there. One second 7 was kissing him, the next she was shoving him underneath here. The rumbling continued as

the stitch-punks hid. 7 pulled her skull-met down then made a grab for her spear that wasn't there. She turned her head around and searched for it but it was no were to be seen. She

then turned to face 9. "Where is my spear?" 9 could see that her optics where also glazed over but, she seemed to have control. He turned his head and looked around the room till he

spotted it. It was in the spot where they were moments ago. "Crap." 9 grumbled then his head started to throb. Suddenly the ground broke upon and a loud screeching sound boomed

against their ears. A drill emerged from the ground then two metallic arms, sharper than that of the cat beast. 7 stiffened and grabbed 9's shoulder to keep her balanced. The metallic

beast came out of the ground then gave a horrible screeching sound. It then let its six red glowing eyes survey the room. 9 and 7's optics widen as the beast's eyes landed on the book

they were under. It jumped into the air with enormous force. 7 wasted no time and grabbed 9's arm. "MOVE NOW!" she yelled and yanked him with her. They jumped out just before the

beast landed on top of their book shelter. 7 looked back at 9 who was jogging behind her. A light was flickering from his leg and 7 instantly knew what it was. She mentally slapped

herself for forgetting to replace the metal bar. 9 seemed to notice his leg too because now sparks where flying out of it. 7 stopped and faced him. "Can you run on that?!" 9 stopped and

caught his breath before raising his head to face her. "Not for long" he said biting his lip. 7 suddenly became overcome with fear. The beast would be on them in seconds and 9's leg injury

wasn't helping this horrible ordeal at the least. Another long screech emitted from the metallic beast's mouth as it charged them. There was no time to think and 7 pushed 9 out of the

way before she jumped to the side in the opposite direction. The beast screeched to a halt then turned its head. It looked back and forth from 9 then to 7 as if trying to decide which one

it wanted to kill more. 7 noticed the beast was distracted and looked at her spear that lay just inches behind the beast. She dug her feet into the ground then sprinted forward, right at

the beast. The beast lunges its sharp claws at her, aiming for a fatal blow. She jumps left and around them as they make contact with the cold ground. The beast screams in rage then

aims its head-like drill at her. Suddenly everything seems to just slow down. 7 can hear her mechanical heart pumping hard and suddenly feels light-headed. 9 watches horrified as the

beast aims at her. Everything seems to go in slow motion as the drill slowly spins and 7's heart beat echoes throughout his head. He begins to scream and wave his arms at her to stop.7

hears someone screaming and turns her head around to see 9 flailing his arms around like a mad man. She has just barely enough time to notice this before the drill hits the ground

behind her. Dust and chunks of earth go flying ever direction and 7 along with it. 7 flies forward like a rag-doll and slams into the side of a desk. She then slumps down and blackness fills

her optics. The beast rips its metallic head out of the ground then glares at 7. Its six red eyes focus on her figure then it begins moving towards her. 9 is running toward it without

another thought. He leans down and grabs a rock while running then throws it at one of its red eyes. It smashes the lens in the eye and spark shot out of it. The five remain eyes glance

at 9 then the beast lifts one of its arms. The gleaming claws shine in the moonlight blinding 9. He lifts his arms protectively in-front of his face then is smashed into the ground. "D-

Damnit!" 9 grunted. He opened his optics and saw the five evil eyes glaring down at him sinisterly. The claw holding him down pressed harder and 9, one of its claws digging into his arm.

He moved his free arm and slammed down his fist on its claw repeatedly. The beast started up its drill again and slowly lowered its head above 9. 9 looked at it then 7 then back at it

again. He was not going to die in fear; he knew 7 wouldn't want that. He stopped slamming his fist on its claw and instead let a scowl cross his face as he lifted up his copper hand with

four fingers. He made sure the beast was focusing on his hand before he folded two of them down along with his thumb, leaving only the one remaining. The twins had showed him a

book about human gestures and this one was some form of disrespect, so why not use it. The weight was suddenly lifted from off of 9's chest and he took in a sharp gasp, before rolling

over on his side. The beast flew backwards into a bookshelf landed on its side and scraping its claws across the ground. The bookshelf creaked then a sharp splintering snap was heard

before the bookshelf itself fell on-top of the unaware beast. 9 looked at the pile of debris then heard the screeching of the beast from underneath it. "Still alive huh?" the young stitch-

punk grumbled before looking over in 7's direction. X-ray loomed over her, with a serious look in his eyes. As 9 approached, X-ray turned to face his direction and bared his fangs. 9

Stopped dead in his tracks. "What's wrong with you?!" A noise from behind him brought his attention back to the collapsed bookshelf. The beast was drilling its way out of the debris. "9!"

the young stitch-punk looked to his left and say 5, 2 and the twins looking down at him. "Guys!" Another deafening screech emitting from the trapped monster as it struggled to get loose.

2 bit his lip "9 get 7 on X-ray's back and get out of here!" the old-stitch-punk yelled as loud as he could manage. 9 stared, mouth open at 2 like he was crazy. "Are you mad?! If we leave

that thing" 9 pointed to the drill-faced nightmare, "It will surely get you guys, and better yet, I can't even drive X-ray over there, he hates my guts." X-ray glared at 9 because of his last

remark. "We can go back to the cathedral, 1 may be a thorn in the side, but it's much safer there." 5 replied "Besides, if drill-face over there is going to chase anything, it's going to be the

closest thing it sees, which at the moment is you, so get moving." 9 looked at 5 in the optics then nodded. 5, 2, and the twins turned and made a break for it towards the entrance of the

library. 9 knew 5 was right, and that they would be safe under the watchful eye of 1. Besides, 6 was probably getting lonely being all by himself. 9 broke from his thoughts and ran up to

X-ray. The Bengal cat didn't budged and just watched 9 carefully as he wrapped an arm around 7's waist and lifted her arm around his head and placed it on his shoulder. He then

proceeded to half drag, and half carry 7 over to X-ray who was already leaning down for 9 to put 7 on the saddle. 9 lifted her unconscious form onto the black leather saddle then position

her in a sitting position. He then grabbed her spear and hooked it into place on the side of the device. It fit perfectly, which amazed 9 because they had yet to even fit it for 7's spear. He

gave one last look over to the struggling beast then yanked himself up onto the saddle. He gave a hard kick into X-rays side and X-ray turned around then crashed through a cracked

window. The chips of glass sparkled as they ran down on them but at the same time cut X-ray in various places. He let a hiss escape his mouth before he hit the cold dry dirt and bonding

off as fast as he could from the library. 9's body bounced each time X-ray's long muscular legs hit the ground and had trouble holding onto 7, who's unconsciousness was not helping at

the moment.

* * *

The beast screamed in rage when it finally broke free from its book prison then looked around the area. It ripped stuff off the walls and threw stuff around until its rage seemed to

subside a bit. The fabrication machine would have its head for letting them escape, so returning to it was not an option at the moment. Then it saw the blood dripping from the remains of

the window. It jumped up onto the window cell then looked further into the distance. A crimson red trail covering the dirt lay on the ground leading to somewhere off in the wastelands.

The beast knew that luck was on its side today and that it still wasn't too late to catch up to the wounded trio. It grinned before jumping through the window then beginning its pursuit

once again.

* * *

9 woke to a cold chill flowing through his burlap body. He shivered then realized he wasn't on X-ray anymore. "That's right" 9 looked around and saw X-ray sound asleep with 7 resting in his fur.

A slow and steady fire was in between them and 9 was resting on an old scrap of cloth "I guess we stopped" the young stitch-punk gave a yawn then stretched out his limbs. They

creaked and cold as ice due to the freezing temperature. He gave a slight wince when he stretched his leg. He looked down at it and sighed. The metal bar had torn through his burlap skin.

He closed his optics then lifted his hand to his left shoulder. When his fingers hit metal, he already knew that it was bad. "I guess drill-face ready did me in" he muttered before giving the

new injury a quick glance. Sure enough, a bare metal bare was showing through a tear that one of its claws must've caused. "I'm such a mess." He laughed out then lay back down. His

mind quickly clouded up before he went into a deep sleep cycle.

"9?" 9 frowned and rolled over onto his side. "9" He grabbed a handful of the cloth then pulled it over his head trying to desperately block out the unwanted sound. "9!" 9 gave a grumble.

"Oh for the love of-" something jabbed hard into 9's side making him fall off his spot. "What the hell was that for?!" 9 shouted then opened his optics. 7 stood a few feet away from him

with her hands in a defensive position and one holding her spear. "7?!" 9 jumped up and embraced 7 in the blink of an eye. "You're finally awake." 7's body tensed and she remained still

at 9's embrace, but after a few seconds she seemed to relax some. "Umm…yeah I'm ok…now if you don't mind." 9 could tell by 7's body language that she was uncomfortable. "Oh, sorry."

9 let go and stepped back to give 7 some air. "I was just worried since you got knocked out by drill-face back there." The young stitch-punk said and smiled sheepishly while he scratched

the back of his head. 7 looked at him questionably. "Who?" 9 dropped his hand and repeated himself. "You know drill-face, the giant monster that attacked us last night."

7 stepped back a bit then looked continued to have a confused expression on her face. "We got attacked last?" 9 looked at her dumbfound. "You don't remember anything from last

night?" 7 shook her head.

"I just got a really bad headache is all." She grumbled. 9 let his jaw drop and let two words out.

"Oh shit"

* * *

**Once again I'm sorry for the wait. I promise next time I will have my chapter out on time.**

**Until then Best regards**

**~Pronzo**


	10. Fights Only Lead to Trouble

AN: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I had some family issues to deal with. Anyways, as always this fan-fiction is rated "T" for now but will be changing to "M" later due to: Violence, Alcohol reference, Romance, Language, and lots of character interactions. And I would ask just for this chapter that you go easy on my mistakes. I accept any comments and I like the corrections I get so I can fix my writing style, but just take it easy on me for this chapter please. Thanks

_Warning, to those about this chapter, there is a part later on in this particular chapter that can be a bit stomach turning so I will put a warning near the part for those who do not wish to read it._

* * *

2, 5 and the twins crashed through the cathedrals entrance, stumbling on each other as they rushed to the top floor to notify 1. A loud crash erupted from behind them, making the twins

scurry around and click in fear. Large water droplets crashed into the ground outside followed by rumbling then a piercing light followed by a loud boom.

"Stop it you two! We don't have time for this" 2's serious tone calmed the twins down as they nodded and listened. They walked to the bucket and 5 secured the metal door making sure

it was closed. The twins began slowly pulling them up as 2 slumped down and 5 leaned on the side of the bucket. The rain danced off the side of the building causing a peaceful rhythm to flow through it.

"You think their ok? I mean 9 and 7 and X-ray and all? 5 whispered out of his voice-box in worry. 2 let out a deep sigh and shook his head, "I'm not positive, but I think they will be fine,

after all, 9 has 7 to guard him, and 7 has X-ray. They are probably safer there then we are here." 2 chuckled out. 5 looked up at the ceiling that was slowly getting closer, "I…I guess your right" 5 admitted but somewhere inside him he knew that they weren't safe at all. In fact he felt like something bad was about to happen. Something that could change all of their lives forever. 5 gulped and shivered, he didn't want to think about it anymore.

The sudden jerk and click told them that they had reached their destination as 5 popped open the metallic door and the twins scrambled out followed along by 2 then 5 himself. 1 was

looking out of one of the stained glass windows with what appeared to be a human with wings holding a sword in a defensive position. The rain drops pounding against it echoed

throughout the cathedral.

"So it seems that you lot have decided to return aye?" 1 turned and 5 noticed the stern face he had on.

"I had figured you would go to find the sorry excuse for a stitch-punk."1 grumbled. 5 wondered if he was talking about 9 or 7. 1 looked over the group then a confused look appeared on his face.

"Well then?! Where is he?" Yep defiantly 9, 5 thought. 2 stepped forward then proceeded to talk.

"1, we have a problem there is still monsters out there and 9 is missing we need to-"

"NO!" 1's sudden outburst made everybody flinch. "I will not let you go out there searching for a lost cause, especially if there is still a beast" 1 turned and walked down the steps until he was in front of 5.

He jammed a cold icy metal finger into his chest "And I don't want any rescue missions. He knows just as well as anybody here that if you break the rules there are consequences. He wasn't the first to have broken the rules, but that problem has been solved already." 5 struggled to refrain from shouting at 1 for insulting 7. He tightened his fist until they began to shake.

1 turned to leave and began stepping up the stairs "Your wrong." 1's body froze and he turned around to see 6 standing next to a startled 5. He messed with his fingers then looked down at the floor. "Y…you're wrong."

1 blinked and held his head up high. "You don't know what you're talking about." 6 looked up and pointed one of his ink covered fingers at 1 "No….YOUR wrong." "1 wiped around and came down the stairs fast until he was inches away from 6's face.

"I will show you who is wrong you little…" A sudden crash and piercing light erupted throughout the cathedral. The twins ran around the throne room and flashed in terror. 2 stepped in front of 6 and stared hard at 1.

"You leave him alone now." 1 placed his hand on 2's shoulder and gripped it hard. "Then tell him he better listen to me or else I will call 8 to teach him a little lesson in respect." "No you won't" "Watch me!" 2 and 1 began to yell at each like a pair of old disagreeing men, while the twins ran around like chickens with their heads chopped off.

5 just watched the whole scene unfold and shook his head. The twins continued to run around waving their arms high in the air until they clashed into each other and fell to the ground unconscious. The two old stitch-punks looked at them with puzzled faces for a moment until they got back to rambling on about something completely unintelligible. 6 stood next to 5 while fumbling with his unique fingers and seemed to be talking to himself. 5 sighed then looked out the window at the rain pounding the dead earth.

"I hope you guys can manage for now, because it may be a bit."

* * *

"AHHH!!! Damnit that really hurts!" 7 looked up from 9's broken leg with an annoyed expression.

"Yah it hurts, and it's going to continue to hurt if you keep yelling and thrashing around like this. Now let me finish." 7 picked up the rock next to her and raised it high over her head.

9 cringed when she brought the rock down hard onto his bent leg. "God, 7 do you even know what the hell your doing?!" 7 ignored 9 and brought it down hard on his leg once more.

9's body shook with pain and his copper fingers dug into the earth. His optics began to have trouble focusing and the world began to spin. His mechanical heart began to pulsate faster and his limbs began to move on their own. 7 went flying backwards and hit the ground multiple times like a flat stone on a lake until she slowed and finally came to a halt. She sat up and held her throbbing head with her hands.

"Damnit 9, you could've given me a warning." When she regained her vision she looked down at the dirty mark on her chest that 9 left from kicking her.

"I'm going to kill him." 7 got up and dusted herself off. A drop of water splashed besides her making her stiffen. Soon thousands followed and the sky began to darken. Mesmerizing white light flashed through the sky and shot down to earth with unbelievable speed. 7 took a minute to observe its beauty then glanced over at 9. He seemed to be doing the same thing. She grabbed her skull-met and placed it on her head.

"9 can you get up?" 9 shifted his weight and nodded "Yah, but I might need some help." 7 nodded in agreement, and lifted 9's arm over and around her neck. They ran into a decaying building that read aquarium on a sign bolted to the wall. X-ray followed behind them as they traveled through the dark building. Water dripped from cracks in the ceiling as the two stitch-punks and X-ray explored.

"Where in the creator's name are we?" 9 choked out as 7 helped him sit down. X-ray flopped down on his stomach and licked his lips. It had been sometime since he had last eaten and he was sure these newbie's to the world had no idea what food was. He lifted his head and got up before he dashed outside.

"Where's he going?" 9 asked as 7 watched X-ray run out the opening and into the rain until he was out of sight. "He does this sometimes, but don't worry he should be back within a few hours" "Um…ok." 9 looked from the opening to 7 then saw the imprint of a foot on her chest.

"Um…7 did I have anything to do with that?" 7 looked at the mark then back up to him "About that…" 7's fist tightened and she walked over to 9 and pushed her finger into his chest. "Next time try to give me a little bit more of a warning before you decide to send your foot into my stomach."

9 laughs it off making 7 smile. "So, about last night....do you remeber anything?" 7 looks up from her sitting position "Last night? No, why what happened?" 9 recalls the events that took place the night before. The party, the kiss, the sudden and incovient attack of drill face. He looks away from 7 and frowns "Oh its nothing" 7 looks questionably at him then shrugs it off.

9 forces a tense smile and relaxes when 7 turns to grab her spear that X-ray had dropped. Then 9's eyes once again fell upon the giant piece of red cloth covering up the most part of her number. "Say 7.." he started "Hmm?" 7 responded. She must've found a comfy spot because now she was lying down with her arms behind her head and her skull-met dropped over her face. "What is it 9?" 9 struggled to find the right words to say but continued. "Um, can I ask you something about that injury?" 7's optics widened and she slowly lifted up her skull-met and looked him straight in the eyes with an icy glare. "What about it." She said coldly. 9 continued "Where did you get it?" He finished and waited for a reply.

"I don't want to talk about it." 7 replied harshly. 9 being the oblivious idiot he is pressed on. "Why not?" 7 sat up with her spear in hand and jumped on top of 9. His head hit the ground and he cringed. 7's spear pressed against his neck as she spoke

"Listen, I don't know who or what gave you that injury on your chest, but unless you want some more, I suggest you leave this subject alone." 9 placed a shaking hand on 7's spear "Why won't you tell me?! " 9 yelled and pushed 7 off of him then stood with the best posture he could manage with his broken leg. "Is it really something so bad, no so horrible that you can't even talk about it?" 7's eyes flashed with anger and her grip on her spear tightened.

"Just drop it." She commanded, but 9 wasn't going to give up yet. "7, you can trust me aren't we" "Friends?" 7 interrupted. "Friends are people who respect each other's privacy!" 9 rolled his eyes and continued "Friends are people who care for each other, friends are people you can trust! FRIENDS ARE PEOPLE WHO WATCH EACH OTHERS BACKS!" 7 slammed her fist into the wall and quenched her mouth. "I watch my own back." Was all she said before she ran off further into the building "7, wait!" 9's arm reached out but she was already out of sight.

"Damnit 9, stupid, stupid!!" 9 took a deep sigh and sat down with his arms hanging off his knees.

"Why can't she just listen for second?" he mumbled in annoyance

* * *

7 hopped down onto a chair and onto the floor. She was still fuming from her chat with 9 and needing to release some of her anger.

"God, why is he so pushy?! I told him I don't want to talk about it, and what does the moron do?" She kicked a small pebble across the floor and listened to its rough texture skid across the earth's surface. "I need some air." She mumbled then continued exploring further into the building. Large tanks of water began to appear and they all seemed to have some sort of description sign printed next to them. 7 grew curious and jumped onto a chair then onto the railing that was next to the large tanks. She pressed her face against one of the tanks and tried to see through the murky yellowish water but failed.

"I wonder what they kept in here." She walked on the railing to the description printed on the tank and began to read. "The Bull Shark, or _Carcharhinus leucas_, also known as the whaler shark, Zambezi shark or unofficially known as Zambi in Africa and Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a shark common worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers. The bull shark is well known for its unpredictable, often aggressive behavior." 7 looked down at the picture below the description. "Glad I don't have to fight those." She looked up and gasped, then lost her footing. She dropped her spear and it clanged against the metal railing and hit the floor while the echoing erupted through the building.

***************WARNING****************************WARNING**********************WARNING*********************WARNING******************************

She slipped off the railing and grabbed a dangling a strand of rope. "WH-what in the creator's name is that?!" A decaying shark pressed against the glass barrier of the tank and floated

from side to side. Its decaying head had bits of flesh peeling off of it as it's bleached skull became visible to her. The jaw of the shark seemed to be hanging on be a loss thread of flesh as it swayed back and forth in the water with large amounts of teeth accompanying it.

Its side had a deep gash and 7 could make out trails of decomposing intestines inside of its rotting body. The dorsal thin on its back had deep slashes and holes placed among it and the

flesh slowly peeling away from it rock back and forth in the murky diseased water. The spine of the shark was poking out from under the flesh that seemed that it was about to give way

at any moment giving the shark an even sickening look to it. Its clouded glazed over rotting eyes seemed to be staring at her from the beyond. 7 let of the strand and landed gracfully then grabbed her spear and shivered before she turned and continued walking.

********************SAFE******************SAFE**********************SAFE*************SAFE******SAFE**************SAFE*******************SAFE********

"I do not need to see that ever again" she told herself, then attempted to kick the image out of her mind. As she walked away the decaying shark body jerk backwards into the murky water and disappeared. Two glowing red eyes glared at 7's departing figure, then disappeared into the murky tank unnoticed.

* * *

9 rapped a piece of dirty cloth around his crippled limb. He placed the end of one of the sides of the cloth in his mouth and the other in his hand. He jerked his head back and pulled with all his might as the cloth tightened around his leg. He released the cloth and cut of the dangling extra material with a piece of glass, then slumped against the wall.

"I'll have to remember to ask 7 to finish fixing my leg when she gets back." 9 looked off in the direction where 7 had disappeared and let a worried sigh escape his mouth.

"I wonder where she went off to…" 9 tilted his head and squinted trying to look further into the darkness. A loud echoing noise made him jump and hit his head on a low board of timber. He stumbled to get up and ran towards the source of the noise.

* * *

7 continued to walk past countless tanks filled with dead fish. "I think this place is starting to give me the creeps." 7 shivered and rubbed her arms as she walked over to a tank that was placed in the center. Another sign with a description was printed on the side. 7 glanced at it from the floor; part of the description seemed to have faded away.

"Saltwater Crocodile..." 7 chuckled then pressed her face against the glass. The murky water seemed to go on for miles but then something caught 7's attention. Bubbles started emerging from the bottom of what looked like the tank. 7 squinted and tried to make out what was making them then saw something move near the bottom.

She jumped back, pulled down her skull-met and held her spear in a defensive position. The large air bubbles coming from the bottom slowly stopped then everything grew silent. 7 watched the tank and waited for thing responsible for the bubbles to emerge.

"7!" 9's voice made 7 wipe around. "9?!" 9 collided into 7 and they fell to the ground. "Aghh, my head…" 9 opened his optics, and then they widened.

7 Looked up at him with a stunned expression. They remained still, in a very awkward position with 9 straddling 7 and his arms positioned on either side of her head. 7 remained still with the same shocked expression on her face. 9 gaped "I..I..I didn't see you…I….I'm so sorry!!" 9 instinctively got up and offered his hand to 7. She continued to look at him but reached out her hand accepting his before he helped her up. 9 looked down at the floor timidly like nothing had just happened and rubbed the back of his head with his hand.

"I..ahh, I'm sorry for earlier. I just…you know…was curious is all…" 7 kept her stern look and placed a hand on his shoulder. He stopped talking and looked down at her with a look of worry.

"I'm still not going to talk about." 9 slumped over and a vain twitched in his forehead. "But…" 7 continued "That doesn't mean that I won't talk about in the future." 9's questionable expression made 7 smile then she hugged him. "Is..Is she hugging me?" 9 mentally asked himself. 9 relaxed into the hug and let all his worries fly away. It had been such a stressful day that he forgot what kindness and forgivness felt like. A large shadow engulfed the two stitch-punks and slowly got larger.

"9." 9 shifted his weight and mumbled a response "Hmm?" 7's voice reached his ears again "9!" this time it sounded more urgent. "7?" 9 questioned "9!!" 7 was yelling now and pointing at something. 9 turned and looked at a huge tank of water that was in the center of the room. His mouth dropped open as he stared at the huge creature inside of the tank glaring at them with two glowing red eyes and a mouth full of teeth.

"So much for a good feeling…" he stuttered out.

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**I know, I know, your probably all mad that I stopped right there, but I needed to because the next chapter needs to have some action in it. Anyways if things are looking up I should have the next chapter up in a few days. Until then please leave any kind of review, and anybody can leave a review because I turned on the anonymous reviews. Remember the more reviews I get the faster the chapters come out and the longer they will be.**

**~Pronzo**


	11. The Deep End

Sorry for the very late update. Missouri had a lot of tornados sweep across it, and I got to see one rip a tree out of the ground, then I got yelled at for not being in the basement by my step-mom, when she had asked me to go get the dog….Bitch. Anyways I'm sure you all know what I am going to say next, but for those who don't …This Fan-Fiction is rated "T" for now but will change to "M" later for: Violence, Romance, Language, and lots of character interactions.

I would like to thank: **spotty-bee**, **Hiezen Uchiha****, Tayla, ****dbzgtfan2004,** and **scottygirl** for their wonderful reviews! Wow 43 reviews! You won't believe how happy that makes me! Let's try to get to 50!

If we do I will write a very long chapter consisting of whatever you guys want to happen. Just put it in your review and I will try to work with it! So chapter 12's events will entirely depend on you guys. Don't keep me waiting I'm anxious to start typing!

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9 gazed at the metallic monster only a few feet away. Its teeth were a rusted orange obviously from the time it spent in the water. Its jaw opened and closed, causing flakes of rust to float off. The red eyes seemed to be twice as bright in the murky water, and made it even creepier. The rib cage connected to its neck was unidentifiable due to the bones being so worn down. The neck of the monster appeared to be a loaded spring connected to a hatch that if released would allow the head to travel several feet from its body. Beyond the rib cage lay the decaying tail of an alligator, with scaly flesh and battle scars all over it. The arms and legs of the monster appeared to also be parts from an old decaying alligator.

7 grabbed 9's arm and made a beeline for the exit. 9 struggled to keep up with her speed and stumbled while trying to catch his footing. But she only tugged harder on his arm and whipped her head around to meet his gaze.

"Would you hurry up?!" 9 shook her hand away from his arm. "I'm trying but…" 9 looked down at his leg and saw the fabric he had wrapped around it loosening and about to give way. WHY HAVEN'T WE FIXED THIS YET?! He thought growing annoyed.

A sudden crash then the sound of shattering pieces of glass brought his gaze back up. The splash of water and the sight of it confirmed 9's fear. The creature must have broken through the container and was probably pursuing them that very moment.

"When are we going to get a break?" 9 looked up at 7's voice. "What do you mean?" They continued to run through the water "What I mean" 7 started "Is that we never get a break from these freaking monsters." 9 waited for her to continue as they ran. "They just keep appearing one after another, I mean they have to be coming from somewhere." 9 thought for a moment. Maybe she was right, but where could they all be coming from?

Another loud crash snapped 9 out of his thought. He looked up and saw water falling from the everywhere. This situation couldn't get any worse. The water rushed past 9 and 7 and was now chest high. 7 jumped up then turned around before yanking him up onto the debris that was higher than the water level while trying to catch her breath. They both turned expecting to see the rust beast but were surprised when it wasn't there. Another sound of shattering glass and the increase of the amount of water made it rise and inch closer to the soaked stitch-punks.

"We are running out of time." 7 stated. She turned and looked across the water that was rising fast.

"That's it!" 9 looked at her with a confused face. "What?" he questioned. She lifted her arm and pointed at the remaining tanks still standing. "It's trying to flood the building so it can swim instead of chase us on land." 9 blinked "Which means...?" 7 slapped her face and looked back at the dumbfounded 9. "And I thought 8 wasn't bright." She started. "What I mean, is that we need to get out of here fast."

Another shattering tank ripped both of their gazes away from each other. The water had finally reached them once more and was up to their metallic feet. 9 stood guard while 7 searched for an escape route. Then it suddenly got very quiet. 9 squinted his eyes as his heart grew louder. His gaze scanned the surface of the murky, diseased filled water for any sign of moment but failed. 9 knew something wasn't right. He turned towards 7 who seemed to be having a mental war, but then sighed as she lost in utter defeat. He grabbed her arm to gain her attention. "7, something's wrong." 7 blinked blankly then snapped out of some trance before replying. "What are you talking about?" she demanded. 9 pointed at the water's surface that was unpleasantly still. She followed his hand and understood what he was getting at.

7 studied the water and the reflections she could see on it then she squatted down and picked up a pebble. She once-more gazed upon the water's surface before skipping the stone breaking the deathly quiet atmosphere. The pebble skipped rhythmically across the murky water before sinking after its 3rd bounce. The room's mute atmosphere came back leaving the stitch-punks tense with anticipation of what was going to happen next. The sound of water dripping from the broken glass tanks broke the eerie silence.

They repeated one after another. It seemed as if the dripping sounds of water were forming some sort of soothing music. As the dripping continued 9's optic began to twitch. He stood up and took in a deep breath "Oh for the love of…We don't have all god damn day!"He shouted.

7 let a smirk appear on her face, only for it to disappear for what happened next.

"You're absolutely right." 9 jumped back from the water and fell on his rear. 7 tightened her grip on her spear and got in a defensive position next to 9 who was dusting himself off. They stood back to back waiting for another response.

"Who was that?!" 7 demanded as she whipped her head from side to side.

9 remained silent listening for an answer. A dark shadow emerged from the water than sank deep below again.

"Ha-ha, you sorry excuses for technology should of known better than to come out of that cooped up home of yours."

9 noticed movement in the distance below the murky water.

"What do you want with us?!" 9 asked sternly. "

A loud menacing laugh erupted from every corner of the dark and miserable flooded room. "That's a stupid question." The voice said with a hint of a devious tone. "You should know full well why we want you."

9 trembled. "What do you mean by we?"He asked.

Another powerfully and dreadful laugh echoed around the room.

"Are you serious? You don't know? Ha, such foolish creatures you are, but I guess you deserve an explanation."

9 let out a breath figuring he had given 7 about five extra minutes to think of something.

The voice began "We were created and sent out for only one purpose. And that my friend is to capture you, dead or alive." A wicked chuckled once again bounced around the walls of the room.

"Who sent you out to do this? We didn't do anything" 9 yelled out into the distance. "

"Oh but you did my friend, and whatever the cost are you are coming with me back to the base."

9 kept his focus rock solid on the water's surface, 7 had once again seemed to have disappeared into the depths of her mind and the evil voice had vanished. Only when the sound of rushing water sky rocket did 9 know it was to late. The water crashed into them with the force of a truck going 80. They were instantly swepted off their feet and pulled along with the violent course of the water. 9 struggled to keep the piece of fabric over his open wound. Once it touched the water everybody in it would be electrocuted, and surely that would mean both 7 and him would die.

7 struggled to keep her head a float as she repeatedly crashed from object to object. The scientist didn't create them to swim, and even though she was one of the strongest and fittest of the group, she still couldn't swim all that well.

The beast snickered as it watched its prey be swept away by the rough current. "Let's have some fun shall we?" He lifted his head and let out a roar before diving deep into the water in pursue of the stitch-punks.

9 tried to dodge the obstacle he was roughly being pulled through. After being hit in the head for the third time he decided that he wasn't doing that all to good and decided to try to just doge what he could. Something big swam underneath and past him causing the water to grow colder. He looked around then his face froze in shock from what he saw next.

7 was further ahead of him in the deadly twisting current and he saw a large shadow emerging from behind her. 9 took in all the air he could manage while trying to still avoid the constant objects crashing into him "7!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

The sound of her name caused 7 to look behind her, seeing 9 waving his arms around wildly.

"What has gotten into him?" 7 wondered then being distracted once again slammed into an object. Suddenly 7 felt something brush past her feet and knew what was coming.

She yanked her body to the right as huge jaws emerged from the murky water and clamped shut next to her spraying her with water. The beast thrashed its head around next to her blinding her with water. She felt another movement from below her and backstroked backwards, as the boney, decaying, rusty jaws shot upward and out of the water.

"Damnit hold still you pest." The beast shouted. Its decaying tail lifted out from the water and slammed down into 7's stomach stopping her in her tracks.

9 watched in horror as 7 dodged the jaws for a second time. Then his heart stopped as the beast's decaying tail came crashing down onto 7's form. "NO!!" 9 screamed as he rushed towards the spot where she and the beast had vanished.

7 opened her optics and saw nothing but greenish gray around her. Something shot past her and sent her doing summersaults underneath the water and into one of the broken glass tanks.

"Wait one of the tanks?! Has the water gotten that high already?" 7's optics shot open before she saw the jaws coming down on her. She twisted her body away but there wasn't enough time.

The jaws closed on her right arm causing a zapping pain to shot through her body. She let out a scream that caused bubbles to rise to the surface. The beast shook her violently back and forth through the water. The pain she was going through made her certain that she was going to lose this battle and possibly her arm. However the beast had a change of plans and shot up and out of the water with her still dangling from its mouth.

7 had nothing running through her mind only the pure animal fear of dying, she acted without thinking. She stabbed her spear into the side of the beast's skull causing it to shriek and drop her in the process. She hit the water hard, and tried to catch her breath.

"YOU LITTLE SON OF A…!" The beast slammed his tail once more into 7's form sending her flying, or should I say skipping like a rock across the water's surface.

9 saw 7 flying straight at him. The impact was harsh, and fast. Both were sent flying onto the top of one of the tanks, which I guess you could say was pure luck. 7 quickly began choking up water from her system. 9 rushed to her side "7 are you alright?" "If 7 had veins, the one would be throbbing right now.

"Does it look like….I am….ALRIGHT?!" She shouted.

"No but soon enough it wont matter."

Both stitch-punks turned their heads to the source of the voice. The beast swam in place watching them with 7's spear still deeply embedded into its skull.

"You guys are going to regret messing with Metal Mouth! NOW YOU BOTH WILL DIE!"

Metal mouth shot forward with incredible speed. 9 looked around desperately for a solution. It all seemed to be happening in slow motion. Metal mouth drew closer every second, 7 was frozen in place and 9 was searching his mind for an answer. It finally came. With the few seconds he had left he removed the cloth from his injury causing it to spark once more. 9 looked Metal mouth straight into his crimson demon eyes then shoved his leg into the water.

Metal mouth didn't know what hit him.

9 woke up outside of the aquarium. Water was still rushing out of it but in small amounts with pieces of floating glass.

"What happened?" 9 thought aloud. Some movement from behind him grabbed his attention.

"You pulled one of the stupidest moves in the history of mankind." 7 starred down at him with a large grin across her lips.

"I'm just mad that I didn't think of it first." She said with a bit of cockiness. He rolled his eyes and laughed before standing up and wringing the water out of his burlap skin. It was kind of funny really. He had just shocked himself and he didn't feel any pain what…so…ever? 9's optics instantly went down to his completely fixed leg.

"But….! How did…you…? I don't understand." 7 punched him in the shoulder causing him to shut up and stare at her with a confused expression.

"How about just a thank you." She smiled and moved closer to him. His face grew hot and his mind began to fog over.

"S-seven what are you…" She wrapped her arms around his waist causing him to freeze. He slowly began to lean towards her as she was to him when a loud erupted from beside them causing them to break apart blushing madly.

X-ray towered over them with a look on his face asking one question. "What the hell did I miss?"

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AN:

Ok so I have about 2 and a half weeks of school left them I'm out baby! I'm so excited yet so scared for those finals, most specifically Math. I can't stand math. Anyways as I have already said above lets see if we can get the reviews to 50. Remember what happens if we do. When you review don't forget to put in what you want to happen in Chapter 12. I will be looking through your request and along with the help of my 3 Beta readers and friends I will make the chapter as best as I can and have it out there within a week. Until then, give me some good ideas guys!

Best Regards

~Pronzo


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